Four pro-Palestine activists previously detained by the FBI Wednesday were released on bond Friday afternoon.
The four defendants — Zainab Hakim, Jonathan Zou, Paige Feyock and Colin Weger — belong to a larger group of eight activists, most associated with the University of Michigan, who were indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice for an alleged campaign of vandalism and threats against the University and other local groups.
The activists allegedly vandalized homes and businesses by spraying graffiti, breaking windows and throwing butyric acid, a food additive known for its strong odor. Additionally, they allegedly expressed a desire to directly harm University officials and their families in private messages.
The eight defendants have been charged with multiple counts of conspiracy to transmit threats in interstate and foreign commerce, which carries a maximum sentence of five years per count. Two defendants have been charged with intimidating a federal witness, which could carry a 20-year sentence, after allegedly confronting an individual they believed was a police informant.
Pro-Palestine activists have disputed the validity of these charges, arguing they are part of a broader trend of anti-Palestine repression at both the state and federal level.
During the bond hearing Friday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Maggie Smith argued the four activists should be indefinitely detained, claiming they posed a significant flight risk and would attempt to flee the country if released on bond.
“Will these defendants follow any court ordered bond conditions?” Smith asked. “The answer is no.”
Smith directed particular focus towards Hakim and Zou, noting that Hakim previously booked a flight that was scheduled to depart for Montreal Saturday morning after the hearing. She also cast suspicion on Zou who, while an American citizen, previously lived in and frequently travels to the People’s Republic of China, where his parents reside.
These points were heavily contested by Hakim and Zou’s defense attorneys, Amanda Bashi and Arthur Weiss. Bashi, representing Hakim, said Smith misrepresented her client’s plane ticket to Montreal, which was one of multiple tickets purchased prior to her arrest for the purpose of a vacation. These included a ticket for a return flight to the United States, where Hakim planned to return to her job of over a year.
Weiss, representing Zou, pointed to previous FBI raids carried out against the group in 2025, arguing Zou could have easily chosen to flee the country at that point. Zou did visit his family following last year’s arrests, but voluntarily returned to the United States to complete his studies at the University, despite the risk of increased FBI surveillance.
“This has been going on for years,” Bashi said. “They comply every time.”
Smith also argued that the four posed an ongoing threat to the local community, claiming they share “an extreme, violent view in support of terrorism.” This argument was supported by a victim statement from the Jewish Federation of Detroit, which was vandalized on Oct. 7, 2024 — allegedly by some of the indicted individuals.
“When a building is targeted with violent and antisemitic symbols it sends a message,” the statement read. “You are being watched, you are being targeted, you are not safe.”
Smith argued the behavior of the four defendants extended beyond vandalism, pointing to messages allegedly sent by Feyock expressing a desire to poison one University official and firebomb an anti-abortion group on campus. Weger was harshly criticized for various items he purchased over the past two years — including an AK-47, a collection of “terrorist” patches and glow-in-the-dark paint, which Smith argued would be used for aiming the firearm at night. Weger also allegedly expressed a desire to sabotage Caterpillar industrial machinery at certain manufacturing plants with ties to Israel.
Smith’s arguments were contested on the grounds that there was no evidence the four had acted on these threats or made realistic plans to do so. Some of these criticisms were made by U.S. Magistrate Judge Anthony Patti, who presided over the hearing.
When Patti asked if Weger ever actually planned to destroy a CAT machine, Smith said he was “very eager to start the research project,” but did not ever carry out the action.
“Did he actually destroy a CAT machine? I don’t have evidence of that today,” Smith said.
The defense attorneys spent large portions of their time arguing in favor of their client’s character. They emphasized the defendants’ academic accomplishments, including Hakim’s graduation from the University with a 4.0 grade point average, Zou’s engineering achievements, Feyock’s medical school acceptance and Weger’s work schedule and plans to attend Washtenaw Community College in the fall. Attorneys also repeatedly emphasized the four defendants’ lack of any prior criminal record.
Smith attempted to minimize the four’s ties to their communities, taking particular aim at the large crowd of University-affiliated pro-Palestine activists who appeared in Detroit to support the defendants — some of which sat silently inside the courthouse while others protested loudly outside. Smith disparaged this group, claiming they were characterized by a “groupthink mentality” that supported terrorism. Patti reproached this idea, saying the political views of those who showed up to support the four were “not the concern of the court.”
Although Patti said he was not convinced by Smith’s arguments, the judge said the four defendants failed to respect civil discourse. He expressed concern over their alleged language and actions, describing them as “misguided” and “full of hate.”
Patti also said he was disturbed by the defendants’ open animosity towards the American state, and encouraged Weger to take a WCC class on American government, which he previously taught.
“I have read some incredibly difficult things (in the indictment),” Patti said. “I have read distasteful statements, and I have read distasteful actions.”
Ultimately, Patti ruled that the four did not pose a flight risk or an ongoing danger to their communities, citing the year-long gap between the hearing and their most recent alleged actions, as well as their lack of action on their most extreme messages.
“If you turned your words and your thoughts into actions, that would be a danger, and is what gives the court pause,” Patti said. “But you didn’t, and you haven’t.”
The four were each released on a $10,000 unsecured bond, to be paid only if they violate the terms of their release. All were prohibited from leaving the Eastern District of Michigan with the exception of Feyock, who was allowed to enter the Northern District of Illinois to attend medical school. All will be subject to some level of GPS monitoring.
Weger and Zou will be subject to curfews, while Feyock and Hakim will be subject to home detention — a form of house arrest with exceptions carved out for work, school and other court-approved activities. The defendants are prohibited from possessing any firearms or other weapons, and Weger was ordered to surrender the gun he currently owns. The four cannot contact each other or any of their alleged co-conspirators or victims, with the exception of Hakim, who is permitted to talk to her fellow defendant and sister Amatullah Hakim.
Other individuals mentioned in the indictment will appear in court next week for their detention hearings. All eight will eventually face trial against the United States government, although dates for this trial have not yet been specified.
Daily News Editor Glenn Hedin can be reached at heglenn@umich.edu.
