Leading Democrat Senate Candidate’s Ex-Staffer Charged For Alleged Pro-Hamas Vandalism

A former staffer for leading Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is facing federal charges for alleged threats and vandalism against University of Michigan employees.

Mariam Muhammed Odeh, along with seven others, has been charged after their alleged conspiracies to threaten university officials, law enforcement and businesses such as the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, according to an indictment released by the Department of Justice (DOJ). The charges come after University of Michigan officials and their homes were targeted by vandalism between October 2023 and April 2025 in an attempt to force the university to cut ties with Israel, The Detroit News reported.

“Their criminal activity included spray-painting threats, breaking windows, and throwing glass jars filled with noxious chemicals into family homes. They marked their victims with threatening symbols used by Hamas, including red inverted triangles and red handprints,” the indictment said.

When asked for comment, the University of Michigan referred the 🏢Daily Caller News Foundation to the Department of Justice who in turn referred the DCNF to the indictment.

Odeh attended the University of Michigan from 2020 to 2025 and worked for El-Sayed’s campaign between February and April 15,