NYPD probing reported chemical attack against students during pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia

The New York City Police Department is investigating reports that students were attacked with a chemical spray last week during a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University, causing several people to seek medical treatment.

The spraying student described occurred during a student-led divestment protest at the Ivy League campus Friday afternoon against the ongoing war in Gaza. The protestors said they sprayed an unknown substance in the air that caused a foul odor. The chemical caused some students to experience nausea and burning eyes. The Columbia Spectator, the student newspaper, first reported about the incident at a “divestment now” rally on the university’s library steps.

A woman reported the incident to police on Saturday, the day after it happened, and five others reported the attack on Sunday, NYPD said in an email on Tuesday. No arrests have been made.

Read more: USA Today