US Justice Department probes Columbia protests for terrorism violations: Report

The US Justice Department is examining whether student protests at Columbia University over the Gaza war violated federal terrorism laws, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Friday.

Blanche said the investigation is also looking into civil rights violations tied to the demonstrations that roiled the New York campus last year.

Blanche, the Justice Department’s second-highest ranking official, said the investigation was part of President Donald Trump administration’s “mission to end antisemitism in this country”.

“We are also looking at whether Columbia’s handling of earlier incidents violated civil rights laws and included terrorist crimes,” Blanche said. “This is long overdue”.

Blanche added that federal law enforcement had executed a search warrant on Thursday night as part of a separate probe into whether Columbia University harboured undocumented immigrants on its campus.