Federal authorities have arrested and charged a dual US-German citizen, Joseph Neumayer, with attempting to firebomb the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel and making explicit threats against President Donald Trump.
According to the Justice Department, Neumayer traveled to Israel in April 2025 and, on May 19, approached the US Embassy in Tel Aviv carrying a backpack.
Surveillance footage and eyewitnesses confirmed that Neumayer spit on an American security guard before fleeing the scene, leaving the backpack behind. Inside, Israeli authorities discovered three Molotov cocktails—crude incendiary weapons designed to inflict maximum damage.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi emphasized the gravity of the charges: “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.”
Neumayer’s online activity reveals a disturbing level of premeditation. Hours before the attempted attack, he allegedly posted on social media: “Join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv.
Death to America, death to Americans, and f*ck the West.” Other posts were reportedly aimed at President Trump, threatening his life directly.