Four people were arrested and charged in connection with anti-Israel graffiti incidents on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus over the past 18 months, the university police announced on Jan. 23.
Police identified the four individuals as Zebulun Fazel, 24; Genevieve Karamanski, 22; Kareem Mayouf, 26; and William Wambles, 20. None currently has an affiliation with the public research university, police said.
Photos released by university police show graffiti including the words “Gaza is starving” spray-painted in black on a set of stairs, “divest now” spray-painted in red on a pillar, “your tuition funds genocide” spray-painted in black on the ground and “students are still here!! free Palestine” spray-painted in black on a residence hall sign.
The graffiti caused more than $10,000 in damage at various campus locations, including Library Mall, Bascom Hall and the Southwest Commuter Path, according to police. During searches of some of the suspects, officers recovered an AR-15-style rifle and two handguns.
All four are charged with felony and misdemeanor graffiti charges. Fazel is also facing misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and criminal damage, while Karamanski faces a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge.
University police stated that they are working with other local law-enforcement agencies amid suspicions that the suspects may be connected to similar graffiti incidents off campus.
