What happened
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has launched an investigation into two activist groups, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), to determine if they have ties to foreign terrorist organizations.
The investigation, announced on the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, is the first step in a four-step process that could lead to the groups being designated as terrorist affiliates.
Rokita has demanded that the groups hand over documents and communications related to their actions after the October 7 attack, as well as records of their ties to other groups and individuals with known connections to terrorists.
CAIR has officially condemned the October 7 attack, but its National Executive Director Nihad Awad has made statements that some have interpreted as supportive of Hamas.
National Students for Justice in Palestine has been involved in anti-Israel campus protests and has received funding from American Muslims for Palestine, an organization alleged to be affiliated with Hamas.
The investigation is authorized under a new Indiana law that allows the attorney general to launch a civil investigation into organizations that may be affiliated with foreign terrorist organizations.
