Plot to firebomb Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani's home thwarted by FBI and NYPD

The FBI and New York Police Department thwarted a plot to firebomb the home of prominent pro-Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani in an undercover operation, officials said Friday. 

Kiswani, the co-founder of Within Our Lifetime, one of New York's most active pro-Palestinian protest groups, said the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force told her late Thursday about "a plot against my life that was 'about to' take place."

The suspect, Alexander Heifler, was already in custody when Kiswani found out, an NYPD spokesperson said.

Heifler, a resident of Hoboken, New Jersey, was apprehended by the FBI at his home late Thursday, according to the criminal complaint, after revealing to an undercover NYPD detective that he planned to throw Molotov cocktails at Kiswani's home on Staten Island.

Federal prosecutors charged Heifler, 26, with unlawfully making and possessing firearms, each carrying a maximum of 10 years in prison. They said he expressed to detectives that "some of the Molotov cocktails would be thrown at cars and some would be thrown directly into" the home.

Police sources said Heifler, who is an alleged member of the violent extremist organization Jewish Defense League, had plans to flee to Israel after the attack. 

The complaint says Heifler spent weeks discussing the plot with the undercover law enforcement official, and at one point went to scope out Kiswani's home. He allegedly invited the undercover detective to his home Thursday, where he had assembled components for the firebombs, including rags, corks and Everclear vodka, a highly flammable alcohol. 

"The FBI conducted court-authorized law enforcement activity in the vicinity of Willow Avenue and Clinton Street in Hoboken, New Jersey yesterday evening. As the investigation remains ongoing, no additional details can be provided at this time; however, there is no threat to public safety," an FBI spokesperson told CBS News New York on Friday. 

The Hoboken Police Department's official X account said Thursday night it was "supporting the FBI in an ongoing investigation," also adding "there is no current threat to the public."

Heifler is being held without bail and could be back in court for a hearing as soon as next week.

Suspect interactions with undercover NYPD detective

The NYPD spokesperson said the joint operation was initiated by its Racially and Ethnically Motivated Extremism Unit as Heifler expressed interest in attacking Kiswani's home in an online group chat with the undercover detective on Feb. 10.

"Our undercover officer identified and tracked the threat — first online and then in person — allowing us to disrupt the planned attack, take Heifler into custody, and ensure that no one was harmed. This is exactly how our intelligence and counterterrorism operation is designed to work," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement on X.   

The criminal complaint states Heifler told a group of people on a video call he was "looking for a space where he could throw 'Molotovs' ... for training purposes." The undercover detective messaged Heifler, starting the first of several conversations between the two. 

The NYPD spokesperson said the undercover detective suggested taking the conversation offline and meeting in person. Heifler met with the undercover officer on Feb. 11, March 4, and prior to his arrest on March 26, when he planned to carry out the attack with Molotov cocktails, they said. 

On one occasion, Heifler met with the detective and went to Kiswani's home "to conduct surveillance using an address provided by Heifler," according to the complaint. 

When the detective met Heifler at his Hoboken home on Thursday, he was "carrying a large bottle of Everclear" vodka and other Molotov cocktail materials, prosecutors said. The two made eight Molotov cocktails before law enforcement arrested Heifler, according to investigators. 

Pro-Palestinian activist targeted

Kiswani, 31, said she was shell-shocked by the news, but not surprised.

"I feel very blessed that they were able to thwart this, but it's something that is a constant possibility for people who speak up on behalf of Palestine," she said.

Her organization has drawn sharp criticism from pro-Israel groups. 

"I will not stop speaking up for the people of Palestine," she said in a social media post with an article on the firebombing plot.

She also questioned why Heifler is not facing terrorism or hate crime charges. The U.S. attorney's office said the investigation is ongoing and more charges are pending.

"We will not tolerate violent extremism in our city. No one should face violence for their political beliefs or their advocacy," New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. "Our city must meet hate with solidarity, and meet fear with an unshakable commitment to justice and to one another." 

"No one should be targeted or live in fear for expressing their beliefs. Grateful to law enforcement for swiftly disrupting this abhorrent plot," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said.