Israel/Palestine

Source: CBS/AP

FBI and NYPD disrupt plot to firebomb Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani's home

Updated on: March 27, 2026 / 2:05 PM EDT / CBS/AP

A plot to firebomb the New York City home of a prominent Palestinian activist was disrupted by the FBI and NYPD, according to a criminal complaint and an interview with the activist.

Nerdeen Kiswani, co-founder of the group Within Our Lifetime, said the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force told her late Thursday about "a plot against my life that was 'about to' take place." It came after the suspect, Alexander Heifler, was arrested, an NYPD spokesperson said.

Heifler, a resident of Hoboken, New Jersey, was apprehended at his home late Thursday, according to the criminal complaint, after revealing to an undercover NYPD detective that he planned to throw a dozen Molotov cocktails at Kiswani's home.

The complaint says Heifler spent weeks discussing the plot with the undercover law enforcement official, and at one point went to scope out Kiswani's home. He allegedly invited the undercover detective to his home Thursday, where he had assembled components for the firebombs, including rags, corks and Everclear, a highly flammable alcohol.

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Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/nerdeen-kiswani-firebomb-attempt-palestinian-activist/