Cornell student held over threats to Jewish classmates

Police in New York have arrested a Cornell University student who is accused of posting violent threats to Jewish classmates over the weekend.

In a series of posts to a website called Greekrank, a user with the name "hamas" threatened to shoot Jewish students at the prestigious university.

Patrick Dai, 21, is in his third year at the university.

Police say he made threats to bring a gun to campus and rape Jewish women and "behead any Jewish babies".

Mr Dai has been charged by the FBI with posting threats to kill or injure another using interstate communications.

The crime is punishable by up to five years in prison. He is scheduled to appear in court in Syracuse on Wednesday.

Officials say he posted that he planned to attack a university building that housed a kosher cafeteria and is next to the Cornell Jewish Center.