A graduate student in Northern California has been arrested for allegedly writing hateful and bomb-threatening messages on the campus of San Jose State University (SJSU).
Ziheng “Tony” Fang, who is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Data Science, was arrested after allegedly authoring messages containing racist language and bomb threats, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Federal charges were filed, and Fang made his initial appearance in federal court on July 10, with another court appearance for identification on July 13.
Court documents filed on July 9 allege that Fang, 30, of San Jose, California, wrote a hateful and threatening message, covered in a plastic sheet and taped to a men’s restroom wall at SJSU. One message reportedly stated, “Kill all Jews, Muslims, Ch—s and Mexicans” and threatened “Mass bombing 11/11 and 11/12 guess.” Another message read, “!WARNING! MASS BOMB NEXT WEEK.”
The DOJ stated that Fang accessed buildings requiring key card access multiple times in the days leading up to the discovery of some messages. Surveillance footage also reportedly shows Fang entering and exiting restrooms or restroom areas where messages were found up to a day before their discovery.
SJSU police have documented over 20 instances of hateful and threatening messages found in restrooms across campus since October 2024. In October 2024, graffiti in MacQuarrie Hall included Nazi symbols and racial slurs, along with threats of mass bombings targeting Muslims and Jews. Anti-Black language was also found on whiteboards in May 2024.
Fang was initially arrested and charged with vandalism and making a public threat to the school on May 20. The federal charges followed these initial actions.