NEW YORK — A man who holds both American and German citizenship appeared in a federal court in Brooklyn on Sunday, facing charges for allegedly planning an attack on a U.S. Embassy office in Tel Aviv.
Joseph Neumeyer, 28, made his initial court appearance after FBI special agents arrested him at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the 28-year-old arrived in Israel in April.
According to the unsealed criminal complaint, earlier this month, Neumeyer had posted on Facebook, “Join me this afternoon in Tel Aviv we are burning down the US. embassy,” and “Join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv. Death to America. Death to Americans and f-k the west.”
That day, May 19, Neumeyer was reported to have arrived at the United States Branch Office in Tel Aviv with a backpack. Upon approaching an Embassy guard, he allegedly spat on the guard. When the guard attempted to detain him, Neumeyer used profane language and fled, abandoning his backpack.
Law enforcement officials recovered from Neumeyer’s backpack several bottles that had been turned into Molotov cocktails,” the complaint said.
He was arrested at the hotel where he was staying and later deported from Israel to the U.S.
Neumeyer’s social media accounts also contained threatening posts that, among other things, called for the assassination of President Trump, according to prosecutors.
ABC News contributed to this report. This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.
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