A Broome County Sheriff's van leaves U.S. District Court in Syracuse, N.Y., Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. Patrick Dai, a 21-year-old Cornell University student accused of posting threats online to shoot and stab Jewish people on the campus, waived his right to a bail hearing during his first appearance in federal court Wednesday. The judge ordered him to remain in Broome County jail, where he has been since he was arrested.
Investigators traced the threatening messages to Dai through an IP address, a numeric designation that identifies its location on the internet. Dai admitted that he posted the threatening messages in an interview with law enforcement authorities at the Cornell Police Department, according to the federal complaint made late Tuesday.
Dai's mother attended the court appearance and did not comment afterward, according to media reports.The threatening comments were left on a website about fraternities and sororities that is not affiliated with Cornell and prompted police to increase security for Jewish students.