A dual U.S.-German citizen has been arrested and charged in connection with an attempted firebomb attack on a U.S. diplomatic facility in Tel Aviv, federal prosecutors announced Sunday.
Joseph Neumeyer, 28, was apprehended in Israel on May 19 after allegedly approaching a branch of the U.S. Embassy with a backpack containing Molotov cocktails.
According to a federal criminal complaint unsealed in Brooklyn, Neumeyer engaged in a scuffle with a security guard outside the building before fleeing the scene, leaving the incendiary devices behind.
Authorities tracked Neumeyer to a nearby hotel and took him into custody shortly afterward. Israeli officials subsequently deported him to the United States on Saturday.
He appeared before a federal magistrate in the Eastern District of New York on Sunday, where he was formally charged with attempting to damage U.S. property with fire or explosives.
The incident unfolded amid heightened tensions in the region, as Israel’s war in Gaza entered its 19th month.
Prosecutors revealed that Neumeyer, originally from Colorado, left the U.S. for Canada in February before arriving in Israel in late April. Investigators said he had posted a string of threatening messages on social media prior to the attack.
At this time, prosecutors have not detailed a specific motive but noted the attack took place in a context of rising global protests and unrest linked to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
A public defender assigned to represent Neumeyer, Jeff Dahlberg, declined to comment on the case.
While the main U.S. Embassy to Israel was officially moved to Jerusalem in 2018 under the Trump administration, a branch office remains active in Tel Aviv, where the attempted attack took place.
If convicted, Neumeyer faces federal charges that carry significant prison time. He remains in U.S. custody pending further legal proceedings.
