Hoboken Engineer ID’d in FBI Sting Over Alleged Plot Against Palestinian Activist

A Hoboken machine learning engineer was arrested Wednesday after FBI agents recovered eight Molotov cocktails he had assembled with an undercover federal agent as part of an alleged plot to attack the home of Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani, according to criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacey D. Adams.

Alexander Heifler, a Stevens Institute of Technology graduate who earned both a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a master’s degree in machine learning from the Hoboken university, was charged with unlawful possession of firearms and unlawful making of firearms on March 27, 2026.

According to the complaint, an undercover FBI agent made contact with Heifler during a video call on February 10, 2026, during which Heifler discussed using Molotov cocktails and sought space to conduct training. The following day, Heifler met with the undercover agent and discussed targeting Kiswani’s residence. He told the agent he had previously made and tested a Molotov cocktail and had a plan to leave the country before the attack.

On March 26, Heifler and the undercover agent assembled eight Molotov cocktails at his Hoboken residence. FBI agents executed a search warrant and recovered all eight devices. Field testing confirmed the presence of ethanol.

Kiswani, 31, is the co-founder of Within Our Lifetime, a pro-Palestinian group based in New York City. HudPost first reported the FBI activity in Hoboken on Wednesday night before the investigation was linked to the alleged plot against Kiswani.

The Hoboken Police Department confirmed it supported the FBI in the investigation. No additional comment was immediately available from FBI Newark or FBI New York.