A man from New Jersey was arrested on Thursday after planning to firebomb the home of a well-known Palestinian activist, as revealed by a federal complaint and the New York City Police Department. The target of the alleged attack was identified as Nerdeen Kiswani, a vocal Palestinian activist based in Brooklyn and a co-founder of Within Our Lifetime.
Kiswani, aged 31, was alerted late on Thursday by an FBI official about the imminent threat to her life and the subsequent apprehension of the suspect, Andrew Heifler. Heifler was caught in the act of preparing Molotov cocktails to launch at Kiswani’s residence after engaging in discussions about the plot with an undercover officer for several weeks. He had even conducted surveillance at Kiswani’s home, as stated in the complaint.
Charges of two firearms offenses were filed against Heifler in a criminal complaint on Thursday. No legal representation for him was listed in the online court docket, and details about his initial court appearance were not available.
The complaint outlined that Heifler had expressed his intentions of training for “self-defense” and creating a space to manufacture Molotov cocktails during a video call in February. Subsequently, he met with the undercover officer the next day to discuss vandalizing Kiswani’s home, mentioning his plan to escape the country post the attack.
Heifler had initially planned to depart the country by the end of April but later postponed it to mid-May. On March 4, he and the undercover officer surveilled Kiswani’s residence and discussed creating a dozen Molotov cocktails to target her home and nearby vehicles.
During a meeting at Heifler’s Hoboken residence on Thursday, where he was found in possession of materials to create Molotov cocktails, they constructed eight explosive devices. Law enforcement officers intervened, executing a search warrant and seizing the destructive devices, which tested positive for ethanol.
Kiswani expressed shock but not surprise at the news, emphasizing the persistent threat faced by those advocating for Palestine.