Nadine Osman
A man allegedly linked to a far-right Jewish extremist network has been arrested in connection with a foiled plot to firebomb the home of a prominent Palestinian American activist in New York, with new reporting revealing deeper ties to an online organisation accused of endorsing violent rhetoric against Palestinians.
Alexander Heifler, 26, was arrested on March 26 at his home in Hoboken, New Jersey, after federal and local law enforcement agencies say they disrupted an alleged plan to attack the residence of activist Nerdeen Kiswani, co-founder of Within Our Lifetime.
Authorities allege Heifler had prepared eight improvised incendiary devices, commonly known as Molotov cocktails, and intended to use them in the attack. He is also accused of conducting surveillance of Kiswani’s home and discussing the plan in an online group chat monitored by an undercover officer.
According to court filings, the investigation involved the FBI and the New York Police Department’s unit on racially and ethnically motivated extremism, which had been tracking communications linked to the alleged plot for weeks before the arrest.
Heifler is alleged to have ties to the JDL 613 Brotherhood, a New Jersey-based organisation that presents itself as a continuation of the Jewish Defense League, a group previously designated by US authorities as a violent extremist organisation.
Recent reporting has raised further questions about the group’s ideology and leadership, describing JDL 613 as an online network that has promoted highly inflammatory rhetoric against Palestinians and political opponents.
Its founder, Yisrael Yaacob Ben Avraham, has been identified in online material as a convert to Judaism who presents himself as a political organiser and public commentator. The group has used podcasts and video platforms to promote its messaging and claims to operate across several US states, including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington DC, although its actual size remains unclear.
The organisation has also reportedly drawn inspiration from Meir Kahane, founder of the original Jewish Defense League, whose ideology of Jewish ultranationalism and advocacy of Palestinian expulsion has long been associated with extremist movements.
In recorded content cited in recent investigations, individuals linked to the group have allegedly used eliminationist language about Palestinians, including claims that there are “no innocent civilians in Gaza” and calls for Palestinians to be “annihilated” or expelled from the region.
The group has also reportedly expressed hostility towards political figures, including New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has been described in its materials in inflammatory terms and accused of representing a political threat to Jewish communities.
Prosecutors allege Heifler discussed using incendiary devices against Kiswani’s home and expressed intentions to flee the United States after carrying out the attack, potentially travelling to Israel.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the investigation demonstrated the effectiveness of coordinated intelligence work in preventing a serious act of violence, stating that authorities were able to “identify and track the threat, first online and then in person”.
Heifler has been charged with unlawful possession and manufacture of destructive devices and is being held pending further court proceedings.
Kiswani, who lives in Brooklyn with her child, said she was informed by federal authorities that an imminent threat to her life had been disrupted.
Speaking outside City Hall on March 30, she described the emotional toll of learning that her home had allegedly been targeted while she was caring for her infant. “I was processing that as a mother, holding my infant, thinking what it means for someone to target my home, where my child sleeps,” she said.
She also said she had received threats from individuals linked to extremist networks and denied allegations made against her organisation.
“There is a clear pattern of this group and its leadership publicly targeting me and my organization prior to the arrest,” she said, adding that claims she had called for harm against Jewish people were “false and defamatory.”
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was relieved Kiswani was safe, adding that “no one should face violence for their political beliefs or advocacy”.
Feature photo: Palestinian American activist Nerdeen Kiswani addresses demonstrators outside the Trump Building in New York City on March 20, 2025. She was allegedly the target of a foiled plot by a far-right Jewish extremist network to attack her home in New York. (Credit: Anadolu Agency/Svetlana Svet)
