California Graduate Student Arrested for Threatening Mass Attacks on Jews and Chinese

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the arrest of Ziheng "Tony" Fang, a 30-year-old graduate student at San Jose State University in California, on suspicion of distributing threatening and hateful messages across the campus over several months. Fang allegedly posted messages in November 2025 on the men's restroom wall warning of a "mass explosion next week" accompanied by swastikas, and called for the killing of Jews, Muslims, Chinese (using a slur), and Mexicans. Additional threats mentioned mass bombings planned for November 11 and 12.

Federal complaint documents state that Fang's fingerprint was found on one of the threatening notes. FBI investigators gathered evidence showing Fang accessed buildings where hateful messages appeared in 16 of 18 cases requiring keycard entry. Security cameras also recorded him entering and exiting restrooms shortly before the messages were discovered. Since October 2024, San Jose State police documented over 20 threatening notes posted in campus restrooms, many specifying dates for alleged attacks involving bombs, knives, and shootings.

The threats prompted the university administration to repeatedly send alerts to students and staff via email and text messages. Some professors canceled classes or moved them online, while many students and employees feared attending campus. On the days targeted for attacks, parts of the university resembled a "ghost town," according to the complaint.

Fang, who is pursuing a master's degree in data science, appeared in federal court in San Jose last Friday and remains in federal custody. The FBI and university police are actively investigating. The Department of Justice emphasized that the complaint contains allegations only, and Fang is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.