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US-German citizen charged for allegedly trying to firebomb US embassy in Tel Aviv
“Join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv. Death to America, death to Americans, and f–ck the west,” read a Facebook post allegedly written by the suspect
A dual U.S. and German citizen has been charged for allegedly attempting to attack the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv with molotov cocktails, according to the Department of Justice.
The suspect, Joseph Neumeyer, 28, of Colorado, allegedly travelled to Israel and then approached the embassy office on 19 May. He spat and cursed at a guard, who then tried to detain him. But Neumeyer got away, leaving behind a backpack that contained three molotov cocktails, according to an arrest affidavit filed by an FBI agent.
An investigation into what appears to be Neumeyer’s Facebook page revealed that he had allegedly written multiple posts threatening to kill President Donald Trump. The morning of the attack on the embassy office in Israel, he also made two posts threatening to burn down the building.
“Join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv. Death to America, death to Americans, and f–ck the west,” read one post included in the affidavit.
The building Neumeyer attempted to attack served as the U.S. embassy in Israel until 2018, when Trump moved the embassy to Jerusalem. The Tel Aviv building now serves as a branch office of the embassy.
Neumeyer was later found and arrested by Israeli police. He was extradited to the United States on 25 May, where he made an initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo and was ordered detained. He is being held without bail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York City.
“This defendant is charged with planning a devastating attack targeting our embassy in Israel, threatening death to Americans, and President Trump’s life,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi in a statement. “The Department will not tolerate such violence and will prosecute this defendant to the fullest extent of the law.”
Ynet News also reported that Neumeyer’s profile had shared an image of a swastika and had written the phrase “Long live the Fourth Reich. Death to America” in a post about Israel’s participation in Eurovision.
The incident at the embassy office in Tel Aviv came two days before two staffers for the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C. were shot and killed outside of a Jewish museum by an assailant who allegedly yelled “Free Palestine” following the shooting.
Neumeyer was charged with attempting to destroy, by means of fire or explosive, the embassy office and faces a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison as well as a maximum fine of £196,000.
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