A former student at Cornell University was sentenced Monday to 21 months in federal prison after making threats against Jewish students on campus, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

Patrick Dai pleaded guilty earlier April for his role in posting violent threats on a Greek life forum, according to AP. These threats, which included plans to shoot and stab Jewish individuals, surfaced amidst a broader increase in antisemitic and anti-Muslim rhetoric prompted by the Gaza war. The menacing posts caused distress among Jewish students at the upstate New York university.

The student from Rochester was accused by federal officials in October of posting anonymous threats to shoot and stab Jewish people on a Greek life forum. https://t.co/GjgHkhxDyv

— News 4 Buffalo (@news4buffalo) August 12, 2024

Originally facing up to five years in prison, Dai’s legal defense claimed his troubling behavior might have been influenced by medications prescribed for depression and anxiety, the outlet stated. Additionally, Dai’s public defender, Lisa Peebles, contended that the posts were a flawed attempt to draw attention to perceived anti-Israel media bias and support for Hamas on campus. (RELATED: Authorities Charge Suspect With Hate Crime After He Stabs Jewish Man While Shouting Pro-Palestine Slogan: REPORT)

“He believed, wrongly, that the posts would prompt a ‘blowback’ against what he perceived as anti-Israel media coverage and pro-Hamas sentiment on campus,” Peebles wrote in a court filing, AP reported.

During the sentencing, Judge Brenda Sannes said Dai’s actions severely disrupted campus activities and constituted a hate crime. However, the judge also considered Dai’s autism diagnosis and ongoing mental health struggles, alongside his previously non-violent record, AP reported. Dai was a junior at Cornell when the incidents led to his suspension from the Ivy League institution.