Man arrested over plot to firebomb pro-Palestinian activist's NY home

A 26-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly planning to carry out a "violent attack" against a New York-based pro-Palestinian activist, authorities say. Activist Nerdeen Kiswani said in a statement on X that federal authorities had informed her on Thursday that "a plot against my life" was about to take place. Authorities said Alexander Heifler had been taken into custody in New Jersey and charged with the unlawful possession and making of destructive devices. Agents found eight Molotov cocktails in his Hoboken, New Jersey home, according to court documents. The charging document did not specify a motive for the planned attack. Heifler, who is a US citizen, has been described by police as an "extremist with no criminal record with the New York Police Department", CBS News, the BBC's US partner, reported. Police believe he was working alone and not with an overseas terrorist group or foreign government. "This NYPD investigation uncovered an alleged plot by Alexander Heifler to carry out a violent attack against Nerdeen Kiswani," New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement. The alleged plot began early last month, when authorities say Heifler took part in a 10 February video call with a "self-defence" group that included an undercover law enforcement officer. During the call, Heifler allegedly asked whether anyone in the group had a location where he could throw "Molotovs" and later discussed plans to vandalise Kiswani's home, according to court records. After arranging an in-person meeting with the undercover agent, he allegedly said he had obtained Kiswani's address and the pair conducted surveillance of the home on 4 March. Heifler allegedly said Molotov cocktails were not hard to make, adding that he had made an escape plan to leave the country. On 26 March, Heifler met the agent as planned near Kiswani's home. He was carrying a large bottle of alcohol along with other materials used to assemble several Molotov cocktails, which he intended to throw at cars and directly at Kiswani's residence, the charging document said. Following the meeting, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Heifler's residence, where they recovered eight Molotov cocktails, court documents state. Kiswani, who is a co-founder of Within Our Lifetime, a pro-Palestinian New York City-based organisation, was informed of the threat against her life after Heifler was arrested, an NYPD spokesperson told CBS News. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Heifler was an alleged member of the Jewish Defense League, which has been designated by the FBI as a known violent extremist organisation. He "attempted to blow up the home of Nerdeen Kiswani in a chilling act of political violence and an apparent assassination plot", Mamdani said. Kiswani has been a vocal opponent of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and alleged that far-right groups had "engaged in a sustained campaign of stalking, harassment, intimidation, and civil rights violations" against her and other activists.