DETROIT — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said Thursday that law enforcement authorities carried out raids Wednesday at five homes in Washtenaw and Wayne counties in an investigation into acts of vandalism against Jewish and non-Jewish officials that caused an estimated $100,000 in damages.

Nessel's office said in a press release the warrants, authorized by the 45th District Court, were executed as part of a year-long investigation into "coordinated criminal acts of vandalism and property damage occurring in multiple counties in southeastern Michigan." The office listed "a selection" of 12 locations where vandalism occurred, ranging from Romulus to Plymouth to Novi and Ann Arbor.

"In each of the cases, the crimes were committed in the middle of the night and in one case upon a residence wherein children were sleeping and awoken," Nessel's office said. "In multiple instances, windows were smashed, and twice noxious chemical substances were propelled into homes. At every site, political slogans or messages were left behind."

A Michigan Muslim nonprofit had said Wednesday the "aggressive" raids took place at the homes of pro-Palestinian student activists at the University of Michigan. Officials with the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said the FBI and local police agencies carried out the raids at the homes of UM students and former students who were involved in pro-Palestinian activities.

The group said authorities damaged property and handcuffed individuals at the homes without charges. Another group said the individuals were released. Nessel's office said no one was arrested, but individuals at one house didn't cooperate with authorities for an hour, leading to an entryway being "forcibly breached."

“We call into question the aggressive nature of this morning's raids of activists' homes, which follows the recent misuse of prosecutorial power in Michigan and throughout our country against pro-Palestinian activists," CAIR-MI's Executive Director Dawud Walid said in a statement. "In any other context, such minor infractions would be handled by local law enforcement or referred to local, elected prosecutors — not escalated to federal intervention.

"This disproportionate response further fuels the perception that Muslim and Arab students, and those who stand in solidarity with them, are being treated (more hostilely) by law enforcement compared to those who commit harm toward American Muslims."

No charges have been filed against any suspect, Nessel said, and the investigation remains ongoing.

A spokesman for the FBI's Detroit field office said Thursday he could only confirm agents participated in law enforcement activities in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Canton Township and referred all other questions to the Michigan Attorney General's Office.

Ann Arbor police officials said in a statement that the department was one of many agencies involved in a multi-jurisdictional investigation led by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office.

"The investigation is related to reported crimes committed in the city of Ann Arbor as well as other jurisdictions," the statement said. "This investigation is not related to immigration enforcement."

On Wednesday, officials with the Transparency, Accountability, Humanity, Reparations, Investment, Resistance (TAHRIR) Coalition, a UM student group that organized and led pro-Palestinian protests on campus against the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, also said the raids were conducted at about 8 a.m. at homes of pro-Palestinian activists in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Canton Township.

"Law enforcement officers confiscated electronics, questioned and detained two activists, who were later released from their Ann Arbor residence," the group said in a statement. "Officers from the Michigan Department of the Attorney General, the Plymouth Police Department, and the FBI raided a Ypsilanti residence, confiscated personal belongings and detained four individuals who were later released. The Canton Police Department and the FBI raided an additional residence in Canton, detaining no one."

Among the vandalism incidents the Attorney General's office listed was the defacing of UM President Santa Ono's home in West Bloomfield that was spray-painted with messages including "Divest Now" and "intifada" on the one year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

It included a December 2024 incident at the Huntington Woods home of UM Regent Jordan Acker, where his wife's vehicle was vandalized, a mason jar was thrown through one of the windows, and messages were spray-painted on the home and vehicle. "This is terrorism," said Acker, who is Jewish.

Last month, Ann Arbor police investigated the spray-painting "Free Palestine" and other words on the home of UM Provost Laurie McCauley — the fifth time vandals targeted the personal residence of UM leaders.

On Thursday, the anti-Zionist organization Jewish Voice for Peace condemned the raids.

"This violent invasion constitutes yet another escalation in the authoritarian crackdown on free speech and the right to protest," Jewish Voice for Peace said in a statement. "The raids appear to have taken place under the direction of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who has repeatedly targeted students and activists supporting Palestinian rights, including egregiously choosing to bring felony charges against students and protesters last year."

CAIR officials said one of its staff members was at a Washtenaw County home when authorities raided it on Wednesday. The staffer was there to provide legal support and observe the police's conduct.

The group said the staff member saw armed officers causing fear and distress for the targeted students and their families.

CAIR-MI said it continues to offer legal assistance to those affected and is actively monitoring the situation for potential civil rights violations.

Earlier this month, 19 people who were allegedly pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested for refusing to leave a Michigan State University building after it closed.

In February, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan filed a federal lawsuit against the University of Michigan, challenging the school's "trespass ban" that barred from campus at least five individuals who participated in pro-Palestine protests.

In November, Nessel said she was charging 11 people with crimes in connection with alleged incidents at the University of Michigan involving protests against Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza.

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