Haverford Professor Ordered Detained After Leaving Antisemitic Online Threats: Feds

PHILADELPHIA — A Haverford College professor arrested last week on cyberstalking charges stemming from antisemitic online threats will remain detained in federal custody, authorities said Tuesday.

Guantian Ha, a religion professor, is accused of sending dozens of threatening messages to the victim over the past year using anonymous social media accounts. Several of the comments shared by federal authorities involve antisemitic language, while other posts include personal information about the victim and his family.

Ha was charged with cyberstalking and arrested Oct. 6. He's been banned from campus and placed on administrative leave as the criminal process plays out. Read more: Haverford College Professor Charged With Cyberstalking After Antisemitic Threats: Feds

The professor was ordered detained, pending trial, during a hearing Tuesday at Philadelphia federal court.

Federal authorities have accused Ha of using at least four anonymous accounts on X to threaten the victim. Ha sent about 50 messages to the victim from October 2025 to this past May, including an antisemitic threat calling to "(e)liminate the jewish cockroaches," according to an indictment.

In a subsequent motion for pretrial detention, federal prosecutors said Ha created a new social media account in late September and continued making threats until the day of his arrest.

Prosecutors also claim that, while investigators interviewed Ha, he turned to his wife and suggested they flee the country. Ha is a Chinese national and a permanent U.S. resident.

A cyberstalking conviction would jeopardize his immigration status, adding to the risk that he'd evade court proceedings if he's released before trial, prosecutors said.

In response, defense attorney Susan Lin argued that Ha has no criminal history and has never violated a court order. Lin called for releasing Ha under restrictions such as home detention and having computer-monitoring software installed on his devices.

She added that Ha is already on administrative leave and banned from Haverford College's campus.

Lin did not immediately return comment to Patch.

Ha, 42, came to the United States in 2007 to attend graduate school at Columbia University, where he obtained his Ph.D. in cultural anthropology. After obtaining the degree in 2014, he furthered his education in London and then taught in Hong Kong, according to court documents.

Ha returned to the U.S. in 2018, when Haverford College hired him to teach religious studies. He was later promoted to associate professor and earned tenure.

Haverford College President Wendy Raymond said she was "deeply distressed" by the criminal allegations against Ha.

"I am heartbroken and furious at the possibility that an individual within our community would seek to inflict such pain on another," Raymond said in a letter to the college community. "This disturbing news is made even more harmful for many given its proximity to both the Jewish High Holidays and the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks."

Before the arrest, Ha was already on sabbatical leave, Raymond said.

If convicted, Ha faces up to five years in prison.