Truthout is an indispensable resource for activists, movement leaders and workers everywhere. Please make this work possible with a quick donation.

New York police say they foiled an assassination attempt against Palestinian American activist Nerdeen Kiswani. She describes the terror of finding out about the plot and why it reflects the “impunity” with which Zionist groups have targeted pro-Palestine voices.

“It really made me feel even more vulnerable than I already do as a Palestinian activist,” says Kiswani, co-founder of the group Within Our Lifetime.

A New Jersey man, Alexander Heifler, has been arrested and charged with plotting to firebomb Kiswani’s home in Brooklyn. Investigators say Heifler was a member of the JDL 613 Brotherhood, a New Jersey-based group founded in 2024 that describes itself as a revival of the Jewish Defense League, a pro-Israel group designated by the FBI as a terrorist organization.

“It’s truly shocking, what they’ve been able to get away with,” Kiswani says of extreme Zionist groups like the Jewish Defense League. “It’s just been ignored for far too long, so it’s good to finally have some accountability.”

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

The Fight to Defend Pro-Palestine Speech on Campus Isn’t Over

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman.

A New Jersey man has been arrested and charged with plotting to firebomb the home of a prominent Palestinian American activist in Brooklyn. Alexander Heifler is accused of assembling Molotov cocktails and planning an arson attack against the home of Nerdeen Kiswani, the co-founder of Within Our Lifetime, a Palestinian-led community organization here in New York. Nerdeen has led protests in support of Palestinians and against Israel’s assault on Gaza.

The arrest follows a weekslong undercover investigation by the New York Police Department that started online. Investigators say Heifler is a member of the GDL 613 Brotherhood, a New Jersey-based group founded in 2024. The group is an offshoot of the Jewish Defense League, a pro-Israel group designated by the FBI as a terrorist organization. The plot allegedly began in February when Heifler discussed making Molotov cocktails on a video call that included an undercover detective. Prosecutors said in the complaint the undercover detective met in person with Heifler on three occasions, and they built eight Molotov cocktails together in Heifler’s home. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released a statement that read in part, quote, “The defendant reportedly planned to........

© Truthout