Police detain Nerdeen Kiswani, an organizer of the pro-Palestinian demonstration group “Within Our Lifetime” during a protest on Friday, April 12, 2024 in New York.
Yuki Iwamura/AP
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Yuki Iwamura/AP
NEW YORK – A man accused of plotting to firebomb the home of a prominent Palestinian activist was arrested following a week-long undercover operation led by the New York City Police Department, officials said Friday.
The target of the plot was Nerdeen Kiswani, who frequently leads protests in New York against Israel and the war in Gaza through the organization Within Our Lifetime.
Kiswani, 31, said law enforcement officers informed him Thursday night that they had interrupted “a threat to my life that was about to occur.”
Federal authorities said they arrested Alexander Heifler on Thursday at his home in Hoboken, New Jersey, while he was preparing Molotov cocktails that he planned to throw at Kiswani’s home. For weeks, he had discussed the plot with an undercover NYPD detective who had infiltrated a group chat used by Heifler, according to a police department spokesman.
An official who was briefed on the investigation said Heifler, 26, identified himself as a member of the JDL 613 Brotherhood, a New Jersey-based group founded in 2024 that describes its members as “Jewish warriors” fighting rising anti-Semitism.
A website for the group says they are inspired by the original Jewish Defense League, a group linked to numerous bombings and attempted assassinations of Arab American political activists in the 1970s and 1980s.
Heifler planned to flee to Israel after the attack, according to the official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss details of an ongoing investigation.
An email inquiry sent to JDL 613 was not answered.
Kiswani, who lives in Brooklyn with her young son and husband, said the plot would not deter her continued activism.
“I feel very blessed that they were able to thwart this, but it is something that is a constant possibility for people who speak on behalf of Palestine,” she said.
Heifler was charged in a criminal complaint with separate counts of manufacturing and possessing destructive devices, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A message left with his attorney was not returned. He made an initial appearance in federal court in New Jersey on Friday afternoon.
“Let me be clear: We will not tolerate violent extremism in our city,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement. “No one should face violence for their political beliefs or advocacy. I am relieved that Nerdeen is safe.”
According to a court filing written by an FBI agent, Heifler spoke on a video call in February with a group that included an undercover detective about his interest in training for “self-defense” and wanting a space where he could throw Molotov cocktails.
The next day, he met in person with the undercover detective and discussed his plan to use them against Kiswani and flee the country, according to the complaint. “We have (Kiswani’s) address,” Heifler allegedly told the undercover agent. “So that’s how it is, it would be easier if you were more comfortable with it.”
Heifler and the undercover detective drove to Kiswani’s residence on March 4 to “conduct surveillance” and discussed preparing a dozen Molotov cocktails to throw at his home and two cars parked outside, according to the complaint.
On Thursday, the undercover detective and Heifler met at Heifler’s residence in Hoboken, where he had assembled components to make Molotov cocktails, including a large bottle of Everclear, a highly flammable alcohol, according to the complaint. Law enforcement officers then executed a search warrant at the residence and recovered the eight Molotov cocktails, according to the complaint.
Kiswani co-founded the group Within Our Lifetime, which frequently organizes anti-Israel protests that draw hundreds of participants and often end in arrests. The group’s calls to “abolish Zionism” and support “all forms of struggle,” including violence, have drawn fierce criticism. Kiswani denies that his criticism of Israel amounts to anti-Semitism.
Kiswani has been a frequent target of online vitriol. Earlier this year, U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., sparked backlash after writing in a social media post that “the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.” The post was a response to a message Kiswani shared about dog owners, which she claimed was a light joke.
“This hatred against the Palestinians has been reinforced by public officials, by Zionist organizations, who are never held accountable,” he said. “This is the inevitable result of that.”
The operation was carried out by the Racially and Ethnically Motivated Extremism unit within the New York Police Department’s counterterrorism bureau, a police spokesman said.
“This is exactly how our intelligence and counterterrorism operation is designed to operate: a sophisticated apparatus built to detect danger early and prevent violence before it reaches our streets,” said Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.