A Colorado man allegedly tried to firebomb a US Embassy office in Israel — and threatened to kill President Trump and Elon Musk, federal prosecutors revealed on Sunday.
Joseph Neumeyer, 28, a US-German dual citizen, was charged with attempting to destroy the US Embassy branch in Tel Aviv during his appearance at the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Neumeyer was deported from Israel on Saturday and was detained pending trial, according to a press release of the complaint sent out on Sunday.
He made a series of social media posts threatening embassy staff and Americans more broadly before showing up at the US Embassy in Israel carrying homemade explosives, according to the complaint.
Neumeyer showed up at the embassy office later the same day but was stopped by a guard outside an employee entrance, prosecutors said.He replied, “f–k you” in English before spitting at the guard and trying to flee the scene, dropping his backpack in the process, prosecutors said
Three Molotov cocktails were found in his backpack, according to the complaint.
Neumeyer was tracked to a hotel five blocks away and arrested.
He admitted to assaulting the guard and said his backpack had “Molotov cocktail bottles” containing vodka, prosecutors said.
Neumeyer — who was born in Colorado and lived in the US until February, when he traveled to Canada — posted rambling conspiracy theories for months on his Facebook.
His politics appear to be an incomprehensible grab-bag, according to his social media. He posted “From the River to the Sea,” a popular anti-Israel rallying cry, along with “long live the Fourth Reich,” but also appeared to support Israel’s Eurovision candidate.
He also posted pro-Russian and anti-Ukraine propaganda, along with overturning British rule of Northern Ireland. Other threats posted on social media included threats to Trump and Musk, conspiracy theories.”We are killing Trump and Musk now,” he wrote in one Facebook post, along with “The former President has several hours to resign or certain death,” according to feds.
“Neumeyer not only made threats against Americans and U.S. diplomatic missions, but also allegedly attempted to carry out those threats by bringing potentially deadly devices to the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen said, as per the press release.
“Let his arrest carry an unmistakable message: The FBI and our partners will aggressively pursue those who attempt to harm U.S. citizens and interests abroad,” he added.
“This defendant is charged with planning a devastating attack targeting our embassy in Israel, threatening death to Americans, and President Trump’s life,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement Sunday. “The Department will not tolerate such violence and will prosecute this defendant to the fullest extent of the law.”
Neumeyer — who arrived in Israel on April 23 — has been charged with using fire or an explosive to destroy US property. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
His case is being handled by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn because he landed at JFK Airport in the Eastern District of New York.
He was ordered to be held without bail by Brooklyn Federal Court Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo.
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