NYPD: Undercover Work Halted Plot Against Palestinian Activist

A New Jersey man arrested Thursday after a weekslong undercover operation led by the New York City Police Department was planning to firebomb the home of a prominent Palestinian activist, officials said. The target of the plot was Nerdeen Kiswani, a Brooklyn-based activist who co-founded the group Within Our Lifetime, the AP reports. Kiswani, 31, said she received a call from a law enforcement official late Thursday informing her that "a threat on my life was about to take place, and that they had apprehended the threat." Federal authorities said they arrested Andrew Heifler as he was assembling Molotov cocktails to throw at Kiswani's home.

For weeks, he had discussed the plot with an undercover NYPD officer who had infiltrated a group chat used by Heifler, a police department spokesperson said. Kiswani was targeted for her pro-Palestinian views, the spokesperson added. Heifler was charged in a criminal complaint with two firearms offenses. An online court docket did not list a lawyer for him or information on an initial court appearance. Kiwani, who lives with her infant son and husband, said she was shocked by the arrest but not surprised. "I feel very blessed that they were able to thwart this, but it's something that is a constant possibility for people who speak up on behalf of Palestine," she said.