Security heightened worldwide after Israeli embassy staffers shot
Following the deadly shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers outside a D.C. Jewish museum, security and safety concerns were heightened worldwide.
A dual U.S. and German citizen was arrested in New York for allegedly attempting to firebomb a branch office of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel, the Department of Justice said.
Joseph Neumayer, 28, was arrested by FBI special agents on May 25 at John F. Kennedy International Airport after being deported by Israeli authorities, the Justice Department said in a news release. He was charged with attempting to destroy, by means of fire or explosive, the U.S. Embassy, according to an unsealed criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York.
Neumayer made an initial court appearance before a federal judge in New York City and was ordered detained, the Justice Department said. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
“This defendant is charged with planning a devastating attack targeting our embassy in Israel, threatening death to Americans, and President Trump’s life,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “The Department will not tolerate such violence and will prosecute this defendant to the fullest extent of the law.”
The arrest came just days after the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington, D.C. On the evening of May 21, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim were killed after leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum.
The suspect in the shooting, Elias Rodriguez, 31, faces federal and local murder charges along with firearms offenses, authorities said on May 22. U.S. and Israeli officials have condemned the shooting, with Deputy FBI Director Don Bongino calling it an “act of targeted violence.”
In response to the incident, Israeli embassies immediately increased security measures, USA TODAY previously reported.
Criminal complaint: Neumayer made threatening social media posts before attempting attack
Neumayer arrived in Israel in April, according to the complaint. He then allegedly traveled to the branch office of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv on May 19 with a backpack containing three rudimentary improvised incendiary devices, known as Molotov cocktails, the complaint states.
“Without provocation, Neumeyer spit on an Embassy guard as he walked past,” the Justice Department said. “Neumeyer managed to break free as the guard attempted to detain him, leaving behind his backpack.”
Law enforcement officials in Israel searched the backpack, in which they discovered the Molotov cocktails, and later tracked Neumeyer to his hotel, according to the complaint. He was arrested and Israeli authorities returned him to the U.S. on May 25.
A further investigation into Neumayer revealed that earlier in the day on May 19, he posted on social media, saying “join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv. Death to America, death to Americans, and f—k the west,” the complaint states.
Federal prosecutors added that investigators believe a social media account used by Neumeyer also allegedly showed that he made posts threatening to assassinate President Donald Trump.
Recent incidents come amid ongoing conflict between Israel, Hamas
The recent incidents come amid growing criticism against Israel after it announced plans to intensify its military campaign against Hamas and to control Gaza, which has been devastated by air and ground operations. More than 53,000 people have been killed and nearly all residents in Gaza have been displaced since the start of the war, according to local health authorities.
The war has increased tensions between Israel and much of the international community. Relations were further strained last week when Israeli soldiers fired warning shots near a diplomatic delegation in the occupied West Bank, with Italy and France both summoning Israeli ambassadors to explain what happened, according to Reuters.
Incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia in response to the war have also surged across the United States, putting law enforcement agencies on high alert. Advocacy groups have reported a record number of discrimination and hate incidents.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the May 21 shooting “a despicable act of hatred, of antisemitism,” saying the incident was connected to the increasingly hostile climate facing Israel over the war in Gaza. Netanyahu himself faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes in Gaza, which Israeli politicians have condemned as part of a wider effort to delegitimize the state of Israel.
Contributing: Reuters