A 26-year-old man was arrested after an undercover New York Police Department operation disrupted an alleged plan to firebomb the Brooklyn home of Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani, officials said Friday.
Federal authorities identified the suspect as Alexander Heifler. Prosecutors say he was taken into custody Thursday at his Hoboken, New Jersey, residence while assembling Molotov cocktails he intended to throw at Kiswani’s home. A criminal complaint says an undercover NYPD detective had spent weeks communicating with Heifler after infiltrating a group chat.
Kiswani, 31, who co-founded the protest group Within Our Lifetime and leads demonstrations against Israel and the Gaza war, said she was notified late Thursday that law enforcement had stopped “a threat on my life that was about to take place.” She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and infant son and said the plot would not deter her activism.
An official familiar with the investigation told reporters Heifler identified himself as a member of JDL 613 Brotherhood, a New Jersey-based group founded in 2024 that describes members as “Jewish warriors.” The group’s website cites inspiration from the original Jewish Defense League, which was historically linked to bombings and attempted assassinations of Arab American activists in past decades. A request for comment to JDL 613 was not returned.
According to an FBI agent’s court filing, Heifler took part in a February video call with others, including the undercover detective, discussing ‘‘self-defense’’ training and seeking a place to practice throwing incendiary devices. The filing alleges that the next day he met the undercover officer in person and spoke about using Molotov cocktails against Kiswani and fleeing the country. He allegedly told the undercover officer, “We have (Kiswani’s) address,” and the two drove to her residence on March 4 to conduct surveillance. He allegedly planned about a dozen Molotovs to target her home and two cars parked outside.
When the undercover met Heifler at his Hoboken home on Thursday, law enforcement says materials for Molotovs — including a large bottle of Everclear, a highly flammable alcohol — were assembled. A search warrant executed at the scene reportedly recovered eight Molotov devices.
Heifler was charged in a criminal complaint with making and possessing destructive devices, each count carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. He made an initial appearance in federal court in New Jersey Friday. A message left with his attorney was not returned.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement that the city will not tolerate violent extremism and expressed relief that Kiswani is safe. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the operation as an example of intelligence and counterterrorism work aimed at detecting and preventing violence. The NYPD’s Racially and Ethnically Motivated Extremism unit within the counterterrorism bureau carried out the undercover operation.
Kiswani and Within Our Lifetime have frequently organized large protests against Israel and at times have faced criticism for rhetoric such as calls to “abolish Zionism” and statements endorsing “all forms of struggle, including violence.” Kiswani rejects accusations that her criticism of Israel is antisemitic. She has been the target of online attacks, and earlier this year a social media post by Florida Rep. Randy Fine that attacked her drew backlash. Kiswani said public officials and Zionist organizations that stoke hatred against Palestinians contribute to threats like the one law enforcement says was thwarted this week.