Hacker sends white supremacy, anti-Semitic emails posing as UM professor
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WJBK) - The FBI is investigating after University of Michigan students received emails promoting white supremacy from a phony account made to look like they came from a professor.
The racist emails were sent to hundreds of engineering students Tuesday night.
The first email reads:
"Hi you (expletive) filthy Jews,
I just want to say the SS will rise again and kill all of your filthy souls. Die in a pit of eternal fire."
Elio Morillo says he received one of the emails directly.
"I was expecting something like this to happen in the times we're living in," he said. "This is happening all the time. Every day. I am not willing to get used to it."
The other email reads:
"Hi N-Word(plural)
I just want to say that I plan to kill all of you. White Power! The KKK has returned."
Police say they believe someone spoofed the accounts of Professor Alex Halderman and his associate Matt Bernhard forging the emails.
Now, the FBI is also investigating.
"They're jointly investigating this with the UofM police department trying to determine where the forged emails may have come from and who they may have come from," said Rick Fitzgerald, a University of Michigan spokesperson.
Seeing that one of the emails makes a reference of President Donald Trump, many students believe Halderman have been targeted due to his efforts after the presidential election.
"Clearly this is a targeted attack of this professor, who is a master in cyber security and involved in some of the scandals with the election and wanting to work on recounting," said student Eva Koester.
Following the emails Tuesday night, dozens stood outside the university president's home.
"That built up frustration pushed us to go the president's house and let him know hey, we're here. You say you're working for us, but we haven't seen anything," said student Keanu Richardson.
It was a peaceful demonstration that provided dialogue between the president and students.
"It was amazing to see him just in his slippers in the middle of the night and actually listen to us, have a humane conversation," Morillo said.
Bernhard did want to comment on the matter, and our calls to Halderman have not been returned.
Students say Halderman attended the demonstration in solidarity to make it clear he had nothing to do with sending these messages of hate.
"He stood out there with us. If anything he could have left when the police said yeah, he didn't send it, but he didn't. He still stayed through the rest of the evening with us which I think it's pretty powerful in itself," Richardson said.