Assistant professor of religion Guangtian Ha was arrested on Oct. 8, 2026, and charged with cyberstalking after federal prosecutors said he sent dozens of antisemitic threats to a Jewish colleague at Haverford College.
The arrest underscores the college’s responsibility to protect all members of its community and resonates with Christian values that condemn hatred and violence. Federal law defines cyberstalking as the use of electronic communication to harass or threaten another person, and the charge carries a maximum five‑year prison term.
According to the indictment, Ha used at least four anonymous X accounts between Oct. 2025 and May 2026 to post roughly 50 messages that included the victim’s home address, a photograph of the mailbox, and explicit threats such as “The goyim have woken up, jew. Run. Flee. Leave. Blurring your home on Google Map and installing a security camera next to your mailbox won’t help.” The prosecutor’s filing also notes that Ha repeatedly referred to the victim as “jew rat” and warned that “Lower Merion will be cleansed of the jew filth.”
Haverford College placed Ha on administrative leave and barred him from campus while the criminal process moves forward. President Wendy Raymond issued a statement saying, “I am heartbroken and furious at the possibility that an individual within our community would seek to inflict such pain on another. This disturbing news is made even more harmful given its proximity to both the Jewish High Holidays and the third anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks.”
The college had previously been alerted to Ha’s online conduct. A June 2025 letter from Rep. Tim Walberg referenced the professor’s antisemitic remarks, and a 2024 lawsuit brought by Jewish students alleged that the institution failed to protect them from hostile speech. The settlement required Haverford to implement annual antisemitism awareness training for faculty and students.
The federal case now proceeds in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. If convicted, Ha faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and substantial fines. The college says it will cooperate fully with authorities and continue to safeguard a campus environment rooted in respect and dignity.