A dual American-German citizen appeared in Brooklyn federal court on Sunday, facing charges related to an alleged attempt last week to attack a branch of the US Embassy in Tel Aviv.
ABC7 in New York identified the man as Joseph Neumeyer, 28, who was arrested by FBI special agents at John F. Kennedy International Airport before his initial court appearance.
According to information released by the US Department of Justice, Neumeyer arrived in Israel in April. The criminal complaint, which has been unsealed, details disturbing social media posts made by Neumeyer earlier this month.
On his Facebook account, he allegedly posted, "Join me this afternoon in Tel Aviv we are burning down the US. embassy," and "Join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv. Death to America. Death to Americans and f-k the west."
On May 19, the same day as the alleged social media threats, Neumeyer arrived outside the Branch Office of the Embassy of the United States in Tel Aviv.
Authorities state that he was carrying a backpack and approached an Embassy guard, whom he spat on. The guard's attempt to detain Neumeyer was met with profanities before Neumeyer fled, leaving his backpack behind.
Law enforcement officials subsequently recovered several bottles converted into Molotov cocktails from Neumeyer's backpack, according to the complaint.
Following the incident, Neumeyer was arrested at his hotel in Israel and subsequently deported to the United States.
If convicted, Neumeyer faces a potential sentence of 5 to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.