Federal authorities have indicted four more individuals in connection with an alleged conspiracy that carried out a campaign of threats, vandalism, and intimidation targeting Jewish organizations, University of Michigan officials, and local businesses over their perceived ties to Israel.
The newly announced indictments bring the total number of defendants in the sweeping federal case to 12. The four individuals named in the latest filings are 23-year-old Henry David MacKeen-Shapiro, 25-year-old Aaron Hunter Vonbargen, 23-year-old Joseph Mark Fisher, and 23-year-old Srishti Tarana Sharma.
Court documents show that MacKeen-Shapiro and Vonbargen were taken into custody earlier in the week and faced scheduled court appearances on Friday. Meanwhile, Fisher and Sharma remained at large as federal law enforcement continued their search.
According to federal prosecutors, the coordinated campaign of harassment began in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. Investigators state that the defendants utilized encrypted messaging platforms and social media applications to select targets, organize operations, and document their actions.
The alleged conspiracy involved a series of destructive incidents, including property vandalism, broken windows, and the throwing of glass containers filled with harmful chemicals into residential homes. Prosecutors also noted that the participants painted red handprints and inverted red triangles—symbols associated with Hamas—on various private residences and commercial properties.
Investigators identified a wide range of targets swept up in the campaign, including the Jewish Federation of Detroit, two University of Michigan regents, a university police lieutenant, an individual student, and two local businesses accused by the group of maintaining connections to Israel. Members of the conspiracy allegedly shared photographic evidence of the vandalism across online channels, accompanying the images with warnings that further attacks would occur unless their demands for severed ties were met.
“These alleged attempts to terrorize our Jewish community and government officials are nothing new,” U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. said in a statement condemning the actions. “From Pharaoh to Hitler to Hamas, those who terrorize Jews have been the bad guys. As Americans, our job is to fight the bad guys.”
