Twelve pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at Stanford University last year after occupying a campus building and allegedly causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage are facing criminal charges.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, California, said in a press release Thursday that the 12 individuals, current and former students at Stanford University, one of the nation's top universities, have been charged with criminal vandalism and criminal conspiracy to commit trespass.

The District Attorney's Office added that the defendants' ages range from 19 to 32. They will be arraigned later this month at the San Jose Hall of Justice.

A student journalist who was arrested with the protesters but was not accused of participating in the vandalism was not charged.

According to the charges, the takeover of Stanford University began around dawn on June 5, 2024, the last day of the spring semester at the university located in California's Silicon Valley. Some protesters barricaded themselves inside the building housing the university president's office. Others linked arms outside, the Stanford Daily reported at the time. The group chanted, "Free Palestine, we will liberate Palestine."

The takeover ended after three hours.

Prosecutors accuse the protesters of spray-painting the building, smashing windows and furniture, disabling surveillance cameras, and pouring a red liquid described as fake blood on objects throughout the building. Prosecutors estimate the damage at hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The prosecution added that the detainees' mobile phones showed communications about planning the operation, including an "occupation manual."

The Associated Press confirmed that it recorded at least 86 incidents last spring involving arrests during protests on college and university campuses against the war in Gaza across the United States.