LANSING – On Thursday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Assistant Attorney General Nimish R. Ganatra (PNG) as the new head of the Department of Attorney General’s Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism Unit, according to a press release.

The release stated this appointment follows recent reports of suspected hate bias across the state, including a confrontation with a Muslim candidate in Dearborn Heights and distribution of antisemitic flyers in Berkley. Nessel also urged residents to report threats, suspicious activity, and acts of bias-motivated violence to local law enforcement and the Unit.

“I am incredibly proud to welcome Nimish to lead our Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism Unit,” Nessel said in the release. “As a veteran prosecutor, he brings decades of experience fighting for Michigan residents. With him at the helm, our Unit will continue its great work of diligently investigating and prosecuting these crimes to the fullest extent possible. No one should fear for their safety because of who they are or where they worship. I encourage anyone with knowledge of a hate crime to contact my office.”

Ganatra, who joined the Department of Attorney General earlier this year, has centered his career in public service as a prosecutor, according to the release. He began at the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office in 2001, where he helped build a domestic violence unit and co-founded the 15th District Sobriety Court in Ann Arbor. He later brought that experience to Worcester, Massachusetts, establishing a domestic violence unit in the District Attorney’s office that continues to serve the community today. As the Senior Assistant Prosecuting Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Division from 2023-2026, he led all criminal prosecutions for Washtenaw County. Ganatra is a former co-chair of the State Bar of Michigan Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence and Practice and a published author of a law journal article discussing barriers that immigrant women of color face in domestic violence cases. He is the former co-chair of the Judiciary Committee for the Washtenaw County Bar Association (WCBA). Since 2018 he has served as co-chair of the Race, Gender, and Ethnic Bias Awareness Committee of the WCBA.

Nessel created the Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism Unit in 2019 to work closely with federal and local law enforcement partners to ensure suspected hate crimes are investigated and the offenders are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, the release stated. This Unit has taken on high-profile cases, including against the anti-government militia group the Wolverine Watchmen and the neo-Nazi, white-supremacist hate group The Base, as well as dozens and dozens of cases involving threats against elected officials at all levels, both Democrats and Republicans alike, throughout the state, from lawmakers to sitting judges.

The release cited a Michigan State Police Crime Dashboard, 620 incidents of hate bias were reported in Michigan in 2024, targeting individuals based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and other protected classes. This data showed that nearly 60 percent of domestic terrorists begin to exhibit concerning behavior more than a year in advance of their plot. Recognizing warning signs like grievances, violent ideation, researching and planning the attack, pre-attack preparation, and probing can help prevent mass attacks.

In May 2023, Michigan passed multiple firearm safety laws to protect communities from terror attacks and gun violence, including Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs), which allow civil courts to temporarily prevent people at risk of harming themselves or others from possessing or buying guns, according to the release. Family members can petition for an ERPO to temporarily remove firearms from a loved one posing a danger.

If you are a victim of a hate crime or have credible information about a hate crime, please contact your local police department first and then the Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism Unit via email at HateCrimes@michigan.gov. The Unit will ensure credible tips reach the appropriate investigative agency, will launch independent investigations when sufficient cause exists, and will offer departmental resources to assist law enforcement partners.