Hamilton College student admits to posting antisemitic remarks on campus, police say

A Hamilton College student has been charged with posting antisemitic remarks on campus, authorities said Monday.

New York State Police’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation responded to the private college located in upstate New York on Friday after receiving “a report of antisemitic remarks being posted on art canvases on campus,” police said in a news release.

Authorities conducted interviews, reviewed video surveillance and developed the suspect as 19-year-old Adyn S. Brenden, from South Dakota. 

Brenden was located in his dorm room on Saturday and agreed to speak with state police during which he “ultimately admitted to posting the remarks,” officials said. 

He was taken into custody and processed on a count of first-degree aggravated harassment. He is due to appear at Kirkland Town Court on Tuesday evening. 

Authorities said Hamilton College has suspended Brenden from campus pending a hearing for his dismissal from the school. 

Officials said “there remains no threat against students or faculty at Hamilton College.” 

NBC News has reached out to state police and Hamilton College for further comment. It is unclear whether the defendant has legal representation.

The arrest comes just days after Hamilton College’s Center for Jewish Life held a vigil on Oct. 7 marking the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ incursion on Israel, according to school paper, The Spectator.

More than 42,200 people have been killed in Gaza, according to local health officials, since Israel launched its military offensive there following the Oct. 7 attacks, in which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 others taken hostage, according to Israeli officials. Israel has also launched an offensive in Lebanon, where the death toll is rising. 

The war triggered swathes of protests across U.S. cities and college campuses, with many student groups calling for their schools to divest from Israel and from companies that could be profiting from the war.