Federal officials say agents arrested a man on Sunday accused of attempting to firebomb the Tel Aviv branch office of the US embassy in Israel, a justice department press release said.
According to a news release from the US justice department, Joseph Neumayer – a dual US and German citizen – was arrested at John F Kennedy airport in New York after being deported by Israeli officials.
The Guardian was not able to verify the details of the criminal complaint cited in the justice department’s press release, with the case docket having not been updated as of Sunday afternoon. The justice department did not respond to the Guardian’s request for access to a copy of the criminal complaint.
According to the justice department, Neumayer arrived in Israel in April. The 28-year-old was then alleged to have arrived to the US embassy branch office in Tel Aviv with a backpack and spit on an embassy guard last week.
When the guard tried to arrest him, Neumayer managed to break free and escape, leaving behind his backpack.
The justice department alleged that the backpack had three molotov cocktails. Officials reportedly tracked him to his hotel and arrested him.
The department’s press release further alleges that a social media account purportedly linked to Neumayer read: “join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv. Death to America, death to Americans, and fuck the west.” Officials say he also allegedly posted threats to assassinate Donald Trump.
The Tel Aviv diplomatic office was the site of the US embassy until 2018, when the embassy formally moved to a site in Jerusalem, in a ceremony overseen by Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter.
“The defendant is charged with attempting to firebomb the US Embassy and making threats to President Trump,” the FBI’s director, Kash Patel, said in a statement. “This despicable and violent behavior will not be tolerated at home or abroad, and the FBI, working with our partners, will bring him to face justice for his dangerous actions.”
Neumayer reportedly stood before a judge on Sunday and was ordered detained without bond.
The arrest of Neumayer comes days after authorities in Washington DC arrested a man in connection with the fatal shootings of two Israeli embassy officials.
