Four more indicted in Michigan anti-Israel harassment case; ex-El-Sayed worker among those charged

Four more people were indicted Friday in a federal case over the alleged harassment of Michigan's Jewish community, bringing the number of accused anti-Israel activists to 12, federal prosecutors said. The US Attorney's Office in Eastern Michigan said eight people were charged in the original rounds of indictments for allegedly threatening University of Michigan officials to force the school to cut ties with Israel. One of them is Mariam Odeh, 24, of Dearborn, who was charged in June. Prosecutors allege the group vandalized board members' homes, planted fake corpses on lawns and graffitied anti-Israel slogans, with the then-school president also among those targeted. The Detroit News reported in June that Odeh had worked for Abdul El-Sayed's Michigan Senate campaign and was paid twice. El-Sayed spokesperson Roxie Richner said Odeh was an hourly employee for two weeks, left April 15 and earned nearly $750. Separately, ahead of Tuesday's US midterms, some Michigan Jewish Democrats disavowed Stevens over Stevens' endorsement of El-Sayed's Republican rival, while other Jewish community leaders urged voters to reject both candidates by writing in the poet Emma Lazarus.

The New York Post, the right-leaning outlet covering the indictments, leads with the El-Sayed link in its headline, calling Odeh a former campaign worker among activists accused of terrorizing the Jewish community. It details her pay, her dates of employment and the campaign spokesperson's confirmation, citing prosecutors and The Detroit News, and describes El-Sayed as a "lefty" candidate. Left-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while right-leaning and alternative outlets had. The Times of Israel, the alternative source, takes a distinct angle: it does not cover the indictments in its headline or excerpt, and instead reports on Jewish Democrats' divisions over Stevens' endorsement and the Emma Lazarus write-in suggestion. The two outlets mention El-Sayed in different contexts: the Post in connection with the criminal case, and the Times of Israel as the opponent of the endorsed Republican.