A man was in federal custody on Friday, March 27, in connection with an incendiary assassination attempt at the home of a New York-based pro-Palestinian activist, according to court records filed in the case.
Alexander Heifler, of Hoboken, New Jersey, was arrested at his home on the evening of Thursday, March 26, after being investigated by the FBI for allegedly planning to throw 12 Molotov cocktails at the home of Nadine Kiswani, according to a criminal complaint filed by the FBI in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Kiswani, a co-founder of the New York City-based pro-Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime, was not physically harmed.
According to court documents, Heifler is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and one count of unlawful manufacture of a firearm. According to the indictment, Heifler met with an undercover FBI agent multiple times earlier this month and early last month to discuss plans to firebomb a woman’s home.
During the Feb. 10 meeting with the undercover agent, Heifler was on a video call with multiple people, including one of the undercover agents, authorities said. There, he allegedly stated that he was trying to throw a “Molotov cocktail,” which FBI officials described as a destructive device filled with a flammable liquid that ignites the bottle before it is thrown. The defendant allegedly drove to Kiswani’s home in April and outlined his plan to throw a petrol bomb at her residence.
Law enforcement then executed a search warrant at Heifler’s home and recovered eight Molotov cocktails, according to the complaint.
“A conspiracy against my life”
Kiswani said federal law enforcement alerted her to the plot on Thursday, March 26.
“Late last night, I was informed by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force that a plot threatening my life was ‘about to take place’ and that agents had conducted an operation in Hoboken in connection with this plot,” Kiswani wrote in a post on X.
“I will have more to say as more details emerge. I will not stop speaking out for the Palestinian people.”
It was not immediately known whether Heifler had hired an attorney to represent him.
USA TODAY has reached out to federal prosecutors, the FBI and the New York City Police Department for more information.
Who is Nadeem Kiswani?
Kiswani graduated from the State University of New York School of Law and served as president of the student chapter of Justice for Palestine.
According to the Within Our Lifetime website, Kiswani has organized pro-Palestinian marches throughout the city and is an outspoken protester and advocate for student protests across the United States.
This is a developing story.
Natalie Neisa Alland is a senior reporter at USA TODAY. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her at X @nataliealund.
