The mother of the 21-year-old Cornell student accused of threatening to shoot up a campus building catering to Jewish students says he apologized prior to being arrested.
Bing Liu says she thinks her son Patrick Dai may have been triggered by the medication he has been taking for depression and anxiety.
She spoke to the Democrat and Chronicle this week.
Liu believes the accusations have ruined his future and blames the FBI for not sharing the apology she says her son posted shortly after the threats were posted.
”Apologies, there is no room for divisive statements in person or online. I am sorry,” Dai said in the post his mother said she received from defense attorneys. She says the apologies are part of the evidence given to them after a court appearance by Dai last week.
The statement went on to say “A lesser man would try to hide behind a mask and that is exactly what I did. Shameful, calling for violence against people because of a cruel war a thousand miles away. Even more shameful because there is no excuse for the targeting of innocent civilians, much less my classmates.”
In another interview with WSTM-TV in Syracuse, Liu expressed surprise and shock at the accusations made against her son.
“It’s a puzzle. I don’t know where I should start or where I should go,” she said. “I don’t know what happened. This is not normal behavior. It’s not him.”
Liu says her son has never mentioned any hate towards Jewish people. Dai was born in Buffalo and had been volunteering at Rochester General Hospital 76 miles east of Buffalo.
She expressed concern for her son to the Democrat and Chronicle and says “he needs to take his medication.”
Muslim organizations have condemned the statements allegedly made by Dai.
“We stand firmly against any form of discrimination that sets out to endanger, defame or dehumanize anyone,” said a statement from several Muslim student organizations published by the Cornell Daily Sun. “We call upon Cornell to protect the Jewish community and conduct a thorough and complete investigation and we hope that the responsible party answers for these dangerous posts.”
