Firebomb Assassination Plot Targeting NYC Activist Thwarted, Authorities Say

NEW YORK, NY – A New Jersey man was arrested after authorities said he plotted to firebomb the Brooklyn home of Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani, in what investigators described as an attempted assassination.

Kiswani, 31, said she learned of the threat in a call from law enforcement late Thursday.

“A threat on my life was about to take place, and that they had apprehended the threat,” she said.

She said she felt “shell-shocked,” but not surprised.

“I feel very blessed that they were able to thwart this, but it's something that is a constant possibility for people who speak up on behalf of Palestine,” Kiswani said. “I will continue advocating on behalf of Palestinian children.”

Authorities said Kiswani was targeted because of her pro-Palestinian advocacy.

She is a co-founder of Within Our Lifetime, a group active in organizing demonstrations.

Police said the suspect, Andrew Heifler, was taken into custody following a weeks-long undercover operation led by the NYPD.

Authorities said he was assembling Molotov cocktails at his residence in Hoboken when officers executed a search warrant and recovered eight devices.

According to a criminal complaint, Heifler discussed the plan over several weeks with an undercover officer who had infiltrated a group chat he used.

Investigators said he conducted surveillance of Kiswani’s home and planned to throw multiple Molotov cocktails at the residence and nearby vehicles.

Authorities said the suspect told the undercover officer he planned to flee the country after the attack.

In a statement, Mayor Mamdani said the suspect was allegedly affiliated with the Jewish Defense League, which he noted has been designated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a “known violent extremist organization.”

“Let me be clear: We will not tolerate violent extremism in our city,” Mamdani said. “No one should face violence for their political beliefs or their advocacy. I am relieved that Nerdeen is safe.”

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the plot, disrupted by law enforcement, “could have endangered Nerdeen’s life and those of other New Yorkers.”

Federal authorities charged Heifler with two firearms-related offenses. Court records did not list an attorney for him. The U.S. attorney’s office in New Jersey declined to comment.

The investigation was led by the NYPD’s counterterrorism bureau, including its Racially and Ethnically Motivated Extremism unit, officials said.

Law enforcement officials said the operation prevented a potentially deadly attack at a residence where Kiswani lives with her husband and infant son.