Eyewitness inside Capital Jewish Museum describes 'haunting' experience amid DC shooting
Sara Marinuzzi, who was inside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. last night when two Israeli embassy aides were fatally shot outside, joins Ana Cabrera to detail the terrifying experience. She said the suspect ran into the museum "clearly distressed."
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42 minutes ago
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US-German citizen charged with trying to bomb embassy building in Israel
A dual U.S. and German citizen was arrested in New York for allegedly attempting to firebomb a branch office of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel, the Department of Justice said. Joseph Neumeyer, 28, was arrested by FBI special agents on May 25 at John F. Kennedy International Airport after being deported by Israeli authorities, the Justice Department said in a news release. He was charged with attempting to destroy, by means of fire or explosive, the U.S. Embassy, according to an unsealed criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York. Neumeyer made an initial court appearance before a federal judge in New York City and was ordered detained, the Justice Department said. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. "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. "The Department will not tolerate such violence and will prosecute this defendant to the fullest extent of the law." The arrest came just days after the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington, D.C. On the evening of May 21, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim were killed after leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum. The suspect in the shooting, Elias Rodriguez, 31, faces federal and local murder charges along with firearms offenses, authorities said on May 22. U.S. and Israeli officials have condemned the shooting, with Deputy FBI Director Don Bongino calling it an "act of targeted violence." In response to the incident, Israeli embassies immediately increased security measures, USA TODAY previously reported. 'Free Mahmoud': Columbia students boo university president at graduation over Palestinian activist arrest Neumeyer arrived in Israel in April, according to the complaint. He then allegedly traveled to the branch office of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv on May 19 with a backpack containing three rudimentary improvised incendiary devices, known as Molotov cocktails, the complaint states. "Without provocation, Neumeyer spit on an Embassy guard as he walked past," the Justice Department said. "Neumeyer managed to break free as the guard attempted to detain him, leaving behind his backpack." Law enforcement officials in Israel searched the backpack, in which they discovered the Molotov cocktails, and later tracked Neumeyer to his hotel, according to the complaint. He was arrested and Israeli authorities returned him to the U.S. on May 25. A further investigation into Neumeyer revealed that earlier in the day on May 19, he posted on social media, saying "join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv. Death to America, death to Americans, and f---k the west," the complaint states. Federal prosecutors added that investigators believe a social media account used by Neumeyer also allegedly showed that he made posts threatening to assassinate President Donald Trump. What we know: Suspect in shooting outside Jewish museum in DC faces local, federal charges The recent incidents come amid growing criticism against Israel after it announced plans to intensify its military campaign against Hamas and to control Gaza, which has been devastated by air and ground operations. More than 53,000 people have been killed and nearly all residents in Gaza have been displaced since the start of the war, according to local health authorities. The war has increased tensions between Israel and much of the international community. Relations were further strained last week when Israeli soldiers fired warning shots near a diplomatic delegation in the occupied West Bank, with Italy and France both summoning Israeli ambassadors to explain what happened, according to Reuters. Incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia in response to the war have also surged across the United States, putting law enforcement agencies on high alert. Advocacy groups have reported a record number of discrimination and hate incidents. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the May 21 shooting "a despicable act of hatred, of antisemitism," saying the incident was connected to the increasingly hostile climate facing Israel over the war in Gaza. Netanyahu himself faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes in Gaza, which Israeli politicians have condemned as part of a wider effort to delegitimize the state of Israel. Contributing: Reuters (This story was updated to correct a misspelling/typo.) This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Man arrested for attempted bombing attack of the US embassy in Israel
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43 minutes ago
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'Horrifying' Boulder attack comes amid rise in antisemitic crimes, Gaza tensions
A fiery assault targeting a group gathered to support Israeli hostages has rocked Boulder, Colorado, less than two weeks after two Israeli Embassy staff members were brazenly shot to death in Washington, DC, amid a rise in antisemitism incidents across the United States. Authorities on June 2 were investigating what the FBI called a "targeted terror attack" after a man a day earlier flung incendiary devices into the crowd and shouted "Free Palestine," setting eight people on fire. A suspect, identified by authorities as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was taken into custody. The violence erupted near a walk to remember the remaining Israeli captives in Gaza abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. The victims, ages 52 to 88, had injuries ranging from serious to minor, authorities said. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said the attack appeared to be a "hate crime given the group that was targeted." Weiser said the group meets weekly at the Pearl Street Mall in downtown Boulder to urge the release of the hostages held in Gaza. The gathering June 1 fell on the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. The attack comes at a time when tensions globally and in the United States have smoldered over the war between Israel and Hamas. After the Israeli Embassy slayings, embassies across the globe heightened security. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a prominent Jewish Democrat, condemned the Boulder attack in a post on X. "This is horrifying, and this cannot continue. We must stand up to antisemitism." Colorado Gov. Jared Polis also blasted the incident as a "heinous act of terror. Hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable." In a statement on social media, the Boulder Jewish Community Center said it was in touch with law enforcement about the Jewish community in the city, noting that safety is the "highest priority." "We are saddened and heartbroken to learn that an incendiary device was thrown at walkers at the Run for Their Lives walk on Pearl Street as they were raising awareness for the hostages still held in Gaza," the Boulder Jewish Community Center said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed solidarity with the victims who were attacked "simply because they were Jews. " On May 21, Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and his girlfriend Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, were gunned down in Washington as they exited the Capital Jewish Museum about a mile from the White House. Elias Rodriguez, 31, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and was also facing several firearms charges and counts of killing foreign officials. Authorities said that the attack is being investigated as a hate and terrorism crime. Yechiel Leiter, Israeli ambassador to the United States, said the two victims killed were a "young couple about to be engaged." And just days after that shooting, a dual U.S. and German citizen was arrested in New York on charges of attempting to firebomb a branch office of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, authorities said. Colorado attack: Videos show chaotic scene after man set members of Boulder's Jewish community on fire Reports of incidents of antisemitism have continued to rise for a second year in a row, according to an annual report released by the Anti-Defamation League in April. ADL researchers counted 9,354 incidents of antisemitic assault, harassment, and vandalism across the country in 2024 − a 5% increase from 2023, which was also a record-breaking year. The number of incidents was the highest since the ADL started tracking antisemitism data in 1979. Israel's actions in Gaza, in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack − which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw 251 taken as hostages into Gaza − has led to inflamed tensions throughout the United States. It also comes at a time when the Trump administration has detained pro-Palestinian protesters without charges and halted funding to certain U.S. universities that have been sites of Gaza protests. Israel's campaign has devastated much of Gaza, killing over 54,000 Palestinians and destroying most buildings. Contributing: Will Carless, Thao Nguyen, John Bacon and Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Boulder, Colorado, attack comes amid inflamed Gaza tensions
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44 minutes ago
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Judge temporarily blocks deportation of family of man charged in Boulder terror attack
A federal judge in Colorado on Wednesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting the wife and five children of the suspect in a fire-bomb attack on a demonstration to support the Israeli hostages in Gaza. U.S. District Court Judge Gordon Gallagher said in an order that deporting the family without adequate process could cause "irreparable harm." Lawyers representing the family of the Egyptian national charged in Sunday's attack, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, sued the U.S. government on Wednesday, seeking to win the family members' release from custody and block their deportation, according to court documents. The number of "identified victims" in the fiery attack has risen to 15, Boulder police said Wednesday. The victims in what authorities are calling a targeted terror attack are 25 to 88 years old, eight female and seven male, police said in a social media post. They were injured when a man on Sunday tossed Molotov Cocktails at about 20 people marching to remember the captives still held by Hamas after the Oct. 7, 2023 border assault. Soliman will appear before a Colorado judge Thursday to hear the raft of charges he could face. Those charges include 16 counts of attempted murder, 18 counts of possession of incendiary devices and related offenses, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said. The attempted murder counts alone are punishable by up to 384 years in prison, he said. He also faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if found guilty on a federal hate crime charge. Soliman told investigators he wanted to "kill all Zionist people" and planned the attack for a year, according to court documents. He said he waited until after his daughter's high school graduation, which took place May 29. His timing may provide little solace for the family − his wife and children were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday and could be ushered out of the country within days. Suspect's family detained: Wife, 5 children deportation Jewish community on edge: Amid ongoing attacks, Jewish people are afraid. Is anyone listening? | Opinion Soliman, a native of Egypt who lives in Colorado Springs, came to the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2022 and requested asylum, Homeland Security officials said. A work authorization granted in 2023 also expired. Now the visas of his wife and five children have been revoked, multiple media outlets including the New York Times reported. "Today, DHS and ICE are taking the family of suspected Boulder, Colorado, terrorist, and illegal alien, Mohamed Soliman, into ICE custody," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday in a post on X. "This terrorist will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it." President Donald Trump has issued a travel ban blocking the entry into the U.S. of foreign nationals from 12 countries and partially restricting travel from foreign nationals of seven other nations. "As President, I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people," Trump said in a proclamation he signed June 4 imposing the ban. The ban prohibits travel into the U.S. from foreign nationals from Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Trump issued partial travel suspensions for nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Not on the list are Soliman's native Egypt and Kuwait, where he lived before moving to the U.S. - Joey Garrison FBI and police officials said the family has cooperated with investigators, and Soliman said his family had no knowledge of his plans. That may not be enough to allow them to stay in the U.S. The White House posted a message Tuesday detailing the family's likely fate: "Six One-Way Tickets for Mohamed's Wife and Five Kids. Final Boarding Call Coming Soon." The post indicated the deportation could happen as soon as that night, but Wednesday's judicial order has granted the family a reprieve for now. Who is Mohamed Soliman? Records reveal Colorado terror suspect tried to purchase a gun A vigil honoring the victims of the attack was set for Wednesday evening. "Healing begins with coming together in community," the Boulder Jewish Community Center said in a statement on its website. "Please join us for 'Coming Together: A Community Gathering.'" The statement adds that "safety and security are our top priority" and lists enhance security plans, including an increased police presence and "hired security professionals." "Please remain vigilant and report suspicious activity," the statement adds. "If you see something, say something." The 30th annual Boulder Jewish Festival will take place as schedule June 8 outside the historic courthouse on Pearl Street Mall near the site of the June 1 attack, organizers said. The Boulder Jewish Community Center and JEWISHcolorado issued a joint statement saying they are taking steps to "reimagine the event in a way that helps our community heal and feels grounded in the reality" of the attack June 1. JEWISHcolorado has launched an emergency fund to support victims, improve community safety and provide additional security at Sunday's event. Details are being finalized, the statement said. The statement noted that the attack targeted Run For Their Lives, a group with the primary focus of bringing awareness to the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. "In moments like these, our strength is in our unity," the groups said. "Thank you for standing together. We will continue to share updates and support one another." A man firebombed the home of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro in April, hours after the governor and his family hosted more than two dozen people to celebrate the first night of Passover. Two weeks ago, a man shot and killed a young couple outside the Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum in Washington. Then, on June 1, Boulder happened. In all three cases, the suspects claimed allegiance to Palestinians as their motive. The attacks come after years of escalating rhetoric, protests and demonstrations against the ongoing war in Gaza. 'The Jewish community is used to having bulletproof glass and metal detectors at their institutions, but this was a public gathering,' Anti-Defamation League Senior Vice President Oren Segal told USA TODAY of the Boulder attack. 'The Jewish community is now concerned about being publicly Jewish.' Read more here. Shootings in DC, firebombs in Boulder: Attacks mark dangerous surge in antisemitism Contributing: Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Judge blocks deportation of family of man charged in terror attack
