‘100% woke’ US grad student charged with hoax over ‘kill Jews,’ pro-Trump graffiti

A leftist graduate student in California has been charged with a hoax for allegedly posting antisemitic, far-right graffiti in university bathrooms, the Justice Department said on Monday.

Ziheng “Tony” Fang, 30, allegedly posted the racist, threatening statements around San Jose State University, where he is pursuing his Master’s degree in data science.

One message, in November 2025, said, “WARNING! MASS BOMB,” “This is a white nation,” “Kill all Muslims,” “MAGA 2028,” and, “Kill Zohran,” an apparent reference to New York City’s leftist mayor, Zohran Mamdani.

The message, written on a sheet of paper taped to a bathroom wall, was accompanied by four swastikas. Investigators found Fang’s fingerprint on the paper.

A second message found in the bathroom at the same time said, “Kill all Jews, Muslims, Chinks and Mexicans.”

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The FBI agent investigating the case noted that Fang’s social media aligned with progressive messaging.

His profile on TikTok said he was “100% woke,” his Snapchat profile said he was an “activist,” and his Facebook profile said he was a “social justice activist.” On Threads, his profile showed a rainbow flag.

Fang had posted statements on social media opposing immigration enforcement and the MAGA movement, and in support of immigrants and pro-Palestinian views, the complaint said.

Investigators linked Fang to more than 20 similar messages found in bathrooms around the campus between 2024 and May 2026, citing security camera footage and records of him entering campus buildings, although he was only charged for the November incident.

Many of the messages included threats of violence, the complaint said.

Graffiti found on a wall in October 2024 said, “KILL MUSLIMS JEWS LIBS,” and “TRUMP 2024,” next to a bomb threat and a swastika.

Another message, found weeks later, said, “Whites stay home Kill Jews MUSLIMS BOMB,” alongside a date and a swastika.

Fang reported that message to university staff, saying he found it while using the bathroom.

Investigators compared key card logins at campus buildings to the graffiti, and found that Fang had accessed buildings around the time the graffiti was discovered inside in 18 of the 21 instances.

Investigators noted that it was possible to enter buildings without using the key card by following someone else inside, and some messages were written in a building that did not require a card.

Fang sometimes entered buildings that he had no classes in shortly before graffiti was found inside.

In response to the messages, the university set up security cameras around the bathrooms, which recorded Fang entering the bathrooms around the time some of the threats were found.

The messages caused chaos on the campus, as the president’s office put out alerts about the threats of attack, professors canceled classes, and students expressed fears about being on campus.

The threats drew coverage from local and national news outlets.

The university announced the arrest of a suspect for the graffiti in late May, without providing a name or details. The federal criminal complaint was filed last week and announced on Monday.

Fang was charged with a federal law barring “false information and hoaxes” and faces up to five years in prison.