Man charged with attempting to firebomb U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv

A dual U.S.-German citizen has been arrested and charged with attempting to carry out a firebombing at the U.S. Embassy’s branch office in Tel Aviv, according to the Justice Department.

Authorities say the man, 28-year-old Joseph Neumayer, was deported from Israel and taken into custody at New York’s JFK International Airport by FBI agents.

Neumayer is charged with attempting to destroy U.S. government property using fire or explosives, a federal offense that carries a minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, along with a potential $250,000 fine.

According to court documents unsealed on Sunday, Neumayer arrived in Israel in April. On May 19, he approached the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv carrying a dark-colored backpack and, without provocation, spit on an embassy security guard. As the guard attempted to detain him, Neumayer broke free and fled, leaving the bag behind. A search of the backpack revealed three Molotov cocktails containing flammable fluid.

On the same day, he allegedly posted on social media: “join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv. Death to America, death to Americans, and f—k the west.” Investigators also uncovered earlier posts threatening to assassinate President Trump.

Authorities located and arrested Neumayer at his hotel. Israeli authorities deported him to the United States on Sunday.

“This defendant is charged with planning a devastating attack targeting our embassy in Israel, threatening death to Americans, and President Trump’s life,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department will not tolerate such violence and will prosecute this defendant to the fullest extent of the law.”

The arrest comes just days after a separate incident outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., in which two staff members of the Israeli Embassy were killed. The victims, Yaron Lischinsky, a 30-year-old German-Israeli man, and Sarah Milgrim, a 26-year-old American woman, had attended a diplomatic reception prior to the shooting.

Authorities identified the suspect as 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, who was apprehended on the scene after shouting “Free, free Palestine!” The FBI and D.C. police are jointly investigating that incident as an act of terrorism and hate crime.