The US Department of Justice announced that a man with dual US-German citizenship was indicted in New York on Sunday, May 25th, for allegedly attempting to attack the US embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel with a Molotov cocktail. The federal prosecutors in New York identified the man as Joseph Neumayer. On May 19, he entered the Tel Aviv branch building carrying a backpack with Molotov cocktails, but fled after a confrontation with a security guard. In the ensuing chase, he dropped his backpack containing three makeshift incendiary devices.
According to court records, the 28-year-old Neumayer, originally from Colorado, holds dual citizenship with the US and Germany. He traveled from the US to Canada in early February and arrived in Israel at the end of April. Prosecutors stated that before the attempted attack, he had posted a series of threatening messages on social media, including burning down the US embassy in Israel and threatening to assassinate President Trump.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi stated in a release that the US Department of Justice will not tolerate such violent acts and will prosecute the defendant to the fullest extent of the law.
Israeli officials deported Neumayer back to the US on Saturday, May 24th, and he was arrested upon arrival at the New York airport. Neumayer appeared in court in Brooklyn on Sunday, May 25th, for his initial hearing, and his criminal indictment was made public on the same day.
During his first term, President Trump, according to the “Jerusalem Embassy Act” passed by the US Congress, moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on May 14, 2018.