By:  Fern Sidman

In a case that has ignited outrage on both sides of the Atlantic, Brooklyn federal prosecutors have charged Joseph Neumeyer, a 28-year-old dual U.S.-German citizen, with attempting to firebomb the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv and issuing violent threats against former President Donald Trump. According to a report that appeared on Sunday in the New York Daily News, Neumeyer allegedly arrived at the embassy on May 19 with a backpack full of Molotov cocktails, just hours after publicly calling for violence on social media.

Federal prosecutors revealed Sunday that Neumeyer had made a series of increasingly disturbing threats online in the weeks leading up to the attack. As reported by The New York Daily News, his Facebook posts included declarations such as “Death to Trump. Death to America,” and “We are killing Trump and Musk now.” On the day of the attempted attack, Neumeyer posted a chilling call to action: “Join me this afternoon in Tel Aviv – we are burning down the U.S. embassy.”

Neumeyer’s threats culminated in what authorities say was a failed but dangerous attempt to carry out an act of terror. According to the information provided in The New York Daily News report, Neumeyer approached the embassy and was intercepted by a security guard just meters from an employee entrance. When the guard tapped him on the shoulder, Neumeyer responded with multiple profanities, spat at the guard, and attempted to flee the scene.

Though he initially managed to break free, Neumeyer dropped his backpack in the scuffle. Embassy personnel later recovered three Molotov cocktails inside, which he later confirmed were filled with vodka. Israeli law enforcement, in coordination with embassy security, tracked him to a hotel just five blocks from the scene and arrested him in his room, according to federal prosecutors cited by The New York Daily News.

Following his arrest, Neumeyer was deported from Israel to the United States and taken into custody at JFK Airport, placing him under the jurisdiction of the Eastern District of New York. He was arraigned before Brooklyn Federal Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo, who ordered that he be held without bail.

Neumeyer faces federal charges of attempting to use fire or an explosive to damage or destroy U.S. property, a serious offense that carries a potential five-to-20-year prison sentence. In a forceful statement reported by The New York Daily News, U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi declared, “This defendant is charged with planning a devastating attack targeting our embassy in Israel, threatening death to Americans, and President Trump’s life. The Department will not tolerate such violence and will prosecute this defendant to the fullest extent of the law.”

Neumeyer’s legal representation, Jeff Dahlberg of the Federal Defenders, declined to comment on Sunday.

Neumeyer’s Facebook activity paints a troubling picture. Alongside death threats and incitements to violence, his account also includes conspiracy theories, praise for Russia and Israel, and bizarre political commentary. As highlighted by The New York Daily News, Neumeyer voiced support for Israeli Eurovision singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7 Hamas massacre at the Nova music festival, even as he simultaneously denounced U.S. foreign policy and Western political systems.

One especially inflammatory post read: “When America overthrew the Ukrainian government through far-right brigades, they began to unravel and colonize Europe. American media is not reflective of the truth. The English placed Obama and Trump in office… Our elections are a sham.”

Despite this contradictory messaging, Neumeyer was clear in his animosity toward the United States. The New York Daily News report noted that on May 19, he posted: “Death to America, death to Americans, and f— the west.”

Neumeyer describes himself on his personal website as “an acclaimed leader, geo-strategist, and academic recognized for his work across The Commonwealth, European Union, and world.” Federal authorities have not verified these claims, and The New York Daily News report noted that no public evidence exists to support his self-professed credentials in international affairs or infrastructure development.

According to federal records reviewed by The New York Daily News, Neumeyer left the U.S. for Canada on February 7, then traveled to Israel on April 23. Within less than a month of arriving in Tel Aviv, he had not only posted numerous death threats, but actively attempted to carry out a violent attack against American diplomatic personnel.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the scope of Neumeyer’s plans, including whether he acted alone or may have had contact with extremist organizations. So far, there is no public indication that Neumeyer is affiliated with any known terror group, though his rhetoric and actions fit patterns seen in lone-wolf radicalization cases.

As reported by The New York Daily News, the case comes amid heightened global tensions and increasing threats to U.S. diplomatic posts abroad. Security at American embassies has been bolstered in recent months due to rising concerns about politically motivated violence and copycat attacks.

Neumeyer’s actions also draw renewed attention to the role of social media platforms in facilitating the spread of extremist ideologies. Despite openly threatening President Trump and calling for arson against a U.S. embassy, Neumeyer’s posts remained publicly accessible and unmoderated, raising fresh concerns about tech companies’ failures to detect and act on violent content.

Joseph Neumeyer now sits in federal custody, charged with a serious crime that could result in a lengthy prison sentence. The Department of Justice, as reported by The New York Daily News, is determined to send a message: threats against American lives—whether from abroad or from within—will not be ignored.

As the investigation unfolds, this case serves as a stark reminder of the evolving nature of modern terrorism—where ideology, digital incitement, and lone actors converge in deeply unpredictable and dangerous ways.