Latest news with #DAMPL
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Member of pro-Palestinian group arrested for allegedly leaving incendiary devices in Common, vandalizing State House
In court filings, police allege that Sawaqed, who works for a biotechnology company in Cambridge, is a member of the Direct-Action Movement for Palestinian Liberation, or DAMPL. '[DAMPL is] an extreme anti-Zionist organization that publicly advocates for criminal 'direct action' against entities it associates with Israel, capitalism, and imperialism,' police wrote in a criminal complaint. 'DAMPL's messaging explicitly rejects peaceful protests, instead endorsing violent resistance and sabotage, and has raised significant public safety concerns.' Shortly after 3 a.m. on July 23, Sawaqed approached the State House gates from the Common and began spray painting the steps, police said. Advertisement His face obscured by a bandana, Sawaqed then dumped an entire can of white paint on the gate and steps before running back into the Common, less than a minute after he arrived, police said. With Park Rangers in pursuit, Sawaqed got into his car and drove away via Storrow Drive, police said. At 6:30 a.m., a State Trooper investigating white footprints on the Common discovered 'two suspicious devices' he initially believed were improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. Advertisement Officers from the bomb squad determined that the devices likely contained gunpowder and said they were 'intended to cause fire or combustion.' On Instagram, a group purporting to be DAMPL took credit for the vandalism, writing in part that they 'targeted the Massachusetts State House with paint mixed with feces and lit homemade flares on its gates.' Sawaqed was arrested after Boston police received notice from police in Toronto about an individual, later identified as Sawaqed, who in a video on social media called for 'sabotage and obstruction targeting government buildings,' police wrote. 'You must bring forth the disruption and disturbances by hindering the entrances into these capitols, into these city halls, municipal buildings,' Sawaqed allegedly said in the video. In the video, police said Sawaqed was standing behind a poster of Ghassan Kanafani, a Palestinian writer and member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which Canada has designated as a terrorist organization. Investigators in Boston began monitoring Sawaqed after he allegedly vandalized a statue of George Washington on the Common on June 14, writing the phrase 'DAMPL Global' in red spray paint. Robert Leikind, regional director of the American Jewish Committee in New England, said incidents like these carry heightened importance after terror attacks against Jewish people in 'These actions become platforms for the kind of violent rhetoric that is inviting people to commit crimes, and not just crimes of vandalism, but crimes that cause bodily harm,' Leikind said Tuesday. Advertisement Truman Dickerson can be reached at
CBS News
5 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Member of pro-Palestinian group arrested for vandalism at Massachusetts State House
An Everett man associated with a radical group targeting prominent government buildings is facing charges after the Massachusetts State House in Boston was vandalized with paint last month. Jeremaiah Yusuf Sawaqed, 25, of Everett, was arrested Thursday and arraigned in Boston Municipal Court. Sawaqed was charged with vandalism and destruction of property, vandalizing a war or veterans memorial and possession, transportation or use of a hoax device or substance. Detectives say the 25-year-old is part of a group called the Direct-Action Movement for Palestinian Liberation (DAMPL), which investigators consider an extreme anti-Zionist organization that endorses violent resistance. For weeks, investigators have been trying to track down the vandal behind the destruction at the Massachusetts State House in July that left white paint splattered all over the stairs and pillars and the George Washington Statue in Boston Public Garden in June. In the George Washington Statue vandalism, detectives say he was seen on surveillance video, with distinctive clothing, throwing white paint. Police say the statue was also defaced with red spray painted pro-Palestinian and pro-Hamas messages. During the State House vandalism, investigators said they followed white paint footprints believed to be Sawaqed's and found two explosive devices planted in Boston Common where families, children and tourists go. Detectives say they connected a social media post to Sawaqed's IP address and cellphone which said, "This morning, the Direct-Action Movement for Palestinian Liberation targeted the Massachusetts State House with paint mixed with feces and lit homemade flares on its gates..." Intelligence agencies from New York and Toronto had been looking into the suspect, saying Sawaqed made a concerning social media post stating, "In order to bring forth the change that you are demanding and calling for, you must bring forth the disruption and disturbances by hindering the entrances into these capitols, into these city halls, municipal buildings." They tipped off Federal officials in Boston about Sawaqed. Police said Sawaqed was also suspected of being behind vandalism at MIT in July. Bail was set at $30,000.
Boston Globe
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
MIT to step up security after anti-Israel graffiti spray painted on building
On Sunday, The message was 'threatening Israelis who serve or have served in the military,' Kornbluth's email said. Advertisement DAMPL has taken credit for the action on social media, she wrote, adding that the vandalism at MIT 'was only one of several that occurred this weekend in the Boston area and beyond.' 'The safety of our community is paramount,' Kornbluth's email said. 'We reject calls for violence, and we embrace and support all members of our community.' Kornbluth said she has directed MIT Police Chief John DiFava to increase patrols across campus, including the Stata Center. MIT police are working closely with outside law enforcement, including the FBI, to enhance security and investigate the incident, the email said. Advertisement 'We will press for criminal charges for those responsible,' Kornbluth wrote. 'Though we believe this was the work of outsiders, if the responsible party is found to be a member of the MIT community, we will also take disciplinary action.' DAMPL's social media account 'makes outrageous and inaccurate accusations' about the work of Professor Rus,' Kornbluth's email said. 'I want to offer a firm defense of Professor Rus,' Kornbluth wrote. Rus and her fellow MIT researchers 'have faced repeated and willful mischaracterizations of the content and purpose of their work,' Kornbluth's email said. 'This is open, publishable, fundamental research,' she wrote. 'Suggestions that Professor Rus's research is designed for conflict are untrue.' Protesters are calling for an end to funding for a research project that has already expired, Kornbluth's email said. 'For the record, the grant in question had a fixed four-year timeline and ended as planned — and unrelated to any pressure — in November 2024, making these unlawful actions not only reprehensible but pointless as well," Kornbluth wrote. 'We must not, and we will not, tolerate threats of violence and targeted vandalism on our campus,' she said. Advertisement Tonya Alanez can be reached at
