(New York Jewish Week) - A New Jersey man was arrested on Thursday for allegedly plotting to firebomb the home of the prominent pro-Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani, who has praised the deadly Intifada, which mainly targeted civilians.
Kiswani has also praised the Hamas terror group and the Yemeni Houthi rebel group, both of which systematically employ violence towards civilians.
Alexander Heifler, 26, was arrested by authorities in Hoboken after a weeks-long undercover operation led by the New York City Police Department revealed that he allegedly planned to throw a dozen Molotov cocktails at Kiswani’s residence.
The investigation into Heifler began in early February when Heifler discussed using Molotov cocktails on a group video call that included an undercover law enforcement officer, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey.
He later told the undercover officer that he had planned to flee the country following the attack. (The criminal complaint did not specify the name of the group or the country he planned to flee to.)
During a search of Heifler’s home Thursday night, detectives and FBI agents uncovered eight Molotov cocktails. He has been charged with unlawful possession of firearms and making of destructive devices.
In a statement Friday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani claimed that Heifler was an alleged member of the Jewish Defense League, a far-right group that the has FBI labeled as a terrorist organization since 2001, and that the country he had planned to flee to was Israel.
“Last night, an alleged member of the Jewish Defense League - designated by the FBI as a ‘known violent extremist organization’ - attempted to blow up the home of Nerdeen Kiswani in a chilling act of political violence and an apparent assassination plot," the statement read. “The defendant allegedly planned to flee to Israel following the attack. This comes amidst an alarming rise in threats and violence across the country targeting Palestinian human rights advocates."
“Let me be clear: We will not tolerate violent extremism in our city. No one should face violence for their political beliefs or their advocacy. I am relieved that Nerdeen is safe," the statement continued.
Mamdani later revised his statement, saying Heifler was a “member of an offshoot of the Jewish Defense League" and had “reportedly planned" to flee to Israel. (An anonymous official told CNN that Israel was his intended destination.)
A police official confirmed that Heifler was a member of a branch of the Jewish Defense League on Friday, according to the New York Times.
Last month, Kiswani, who has long drawn accusations of antisemitism for her rhetoric on Zionists, sued Betar USA, accusing the group of violating her civil rights by putting out social media “bounties" on her and repeatedly harassing her.
In a post on X, Kiswani, a Palestinian-American who co-founded the hardline pro-Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime, wrote that she had been informed by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force on Thursday night that “a plot against my life that was ‘about to’ take place."
“I will have more to say as additional details come to light. I will not stop speaking up for the people of Palestine. Thank you for your support."
In response to the New York Times’ post about the arrest, Betar USA wrote that it was “not surprising if other terrorists targeted her."
“Violent terrorist Nerdeen Kiswani wants to globalize the intifada not surprising if other terrorists targeted her. Palestinians have always targeted one another," the group posted on X alongside a video of Kiswani’s rhetoric. “Not surprising given the violent nature of these people who have globalized the intifada."
The announcement of the arrest drew praise from the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, which wrote in a post on X that there is “absolutely no place in our city for violence, threats, or attempts to take someone’s life-ever."
“While we adamantly disagree with Nerdeen Kiswani’s inflammatory rhetoric and her organization’s tactics, we condemn in the strongest possible terms the reported plot against her," the group said.
Brad Hoylman Sigal, the Jewish Manhattan borough president, also praised the NYPD for the arrest in a post on X.
“Grateful to @NYPDnews for their swift work in preventing this horrific plot against Nerdeen Kiswani," Sigal wrote. “Political violence, against anyone, for any reason, has no place in our city."