Anti-Muslim threats, attack hoax created by US professor to keep his job

An assistant professor at Indiana State University has been arrested for allegedly making false claims of anti-Muslim threats against him and reporting a made-up attack. Azhar Hussain has been charged with obstruction of justice and harassment.

Campus police said students and faculty members, both Muslim and non-Muslim, were sent threatening emails in March.

The emails contained anti-Muslim sentiment and threats against the Muslim community at Indiana State University (ISU), naming Hussain as a target. 

Hussain reported an attack on March 24 as he was entering his office, in which he claimed to have been thrown to the floor, the Tribune Star reports. At the time, ISU police said people in the area at the time of the reported attack didn’t see anything suspicious.  

“Based upon the investigation, it is our belief that Hussain was trying to gain sympathy by becoming a victim of anti-Muslim threats, which he had created himself,” ISU's chief of police Joseph Newport said.

“It is extremely unfortunate that this situation caused undue concern on other members of the ISU community,” said Newport.

Hussain’s scheme was uncovered thanks to an investigation by Indiana State Police’s Cybercrime and Investigative Technologies Section and ISU’s IT security engineer. The FBI and Vigo County’s Prosecutor’s Office helped with the probe.

The investigation traced the computer from where the emails were sent, which revealed that Hussain had sent them himself.

Hussain, who remains in jail on a $10,000 bond, is facing a felony charge of obstruction of justice and a misdemeanor charge of harassment. He has been suspended from his position at ISU.

WTWO reports police believe Hussain sent the emails after learning he would not be re-appointed to his position next year.