A dual citizen of the US and Germany, Joseph Neumayer, was arrested at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport on Sunday for allegedly plotting to firebomb the US embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel. The US Department of Justice reported that Neumayer, 28, had been previously deported by Israeli authorities after he was caught with explosive materials in a backpack close to the embassy premises.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi described the situation as grave, stating, "This defendant is charged with planning a devastating attack targeting our embassy in Israel, threatening death to Americans, and President Trump's life." Neumayer's arrest follows closely on the heels of a violent incident, where two Israeli embassy employees were killed outside a Jewish museum in Washington DC.
Federal authorities detailed that Neumayer had arrived in Israel in April before he made his move toward the US embassy in Tel Aviv. According to reports, he approached an embassy guard and, after a confrontation, left his dark-colored backpack behind, which contained three Molotov cocktails—makeshift incendiary devices. Following the event, law enforcement located him at his hotel and took him into custody.
Furthermore, it has been revealed that Neumayer had made incendiary posts on social media, vowing to "burn down the embassy" and expressing violent sentiments against the US and its leaders. He has also been accused of threatening President Trump on a separate online platform.
Currently, Neumayer is being held in a US jail where he could face up to 20 years in jail if found guilty. His case has garnered attention in the context of the recent shooting of two Israeli embassy workers in Washington, a tragic event for which the suspected assailant had expressed political motivations. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is scheduled to honor the victims at a memorial in Israel.
