A U.S. citizen staying in Israel threatened to kill President Trump and tried to torch the U.S. Embassy branch office in Tel Aviv, showing up with a backpack full of Molotov cocktails, Brooklyn federal prosecutors said Sunday.
Joseph Neumeyer, 28, wrote threats on his Facebook wall for months, posting messages like, “We are killing Trump and Musk now,” “Death to Trump. Death to America,” and “The former President has several hours to resign or certain death,” according to federal prosecutors.
On May 19, he posted a call to arms — “Join me this afternoon in Tel Aviv- we are burning down the U.S. embassy” and “Join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv. Death to America, death to Americans, and f— the west,” according to the feds.
Neumeyer showed up at the embassy branch office later that day but a guard intercepted him abut 2 meters away from an employee entrance, prosecutors say. The guard tapped on his shoulder as he passed, according to the feds, and Neumeyer said “f– you” in English several times and spat on the guard, then tried to flee.
The guard grabbed his backpack to stop him, but Neumeyer broke free, dropped the backpack and ran off, according to a criminal complaint.
Embassy guards found three Molotov cocktails in the backpack, according to the complaint.
DOJ
Israeli police bomb squad officers inspect the bag of Molotov cocktails outside the US Embassy on May 19. (DOJ)
Israeli law enforcement tracked him to a hotel five blocks away, arresting him in his hotel room. He admitted he assaulted the guard and that his backpack had “Molotov cocktail bottles” with vodka inside, prosecutors say.
Israel deported Neumeyer to the U.S.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn are handling his case because he landed at JFK Airport, which is in the Eastern District of New York.
He’s charged with attempting to use fire or an explosive to destroy U.S. property, a federal charge that carries a five-to-20-year prison term. Brooklyn Federal Court Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo ordered him held without bail.
“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 wrote threats on his Facebook wall for months, according to prosecutors. (Facebook)
According to the feds, Neumeyer is a dual U.S. and German citizen who was born in Colorado and lived in the U.S. until earlier this year. He left the U.S. for Canada on Feb. 7 and arrived in Israel April 23.
Neumeyer’s Facebook page includes conspiracy theories and posts praising Israel and Russia, as well as several posts urging people to vote for Israeli singer Yuval Raphael in this year’s Eurovision competition. Raphael, a survivor of the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre at the Nova music festival, won second place, amid cries of protest calling for Israel to be barred from the competition over the Israeli bombing campaign and ground invasion in Gaza,
In a post from May 19, Neumeyer wrote, “When America overthrew the Ukrainian government through far-right brigades, they began to unravel and colonize Europe. American media is not reflective of the truth. The English placed Obama and Trump in office, they are in total control of the US navy communication structure. Our elections are a sham.”
On his personal website, Neumeyer describes himself as “an acclaimed leader, geo-strategist, and academic recognized for his work and advocacy across The Commonwealth, European Union, and world — in both infrastructure, mercantile banking, and entrepreneurship.”
His lawyer, Jeff Dahlberg of the Federal Defenders, declined comment Sunday.
Originally Published: May 25, 2025 at 2:17 PM EDT
