Federal law enforcement officers disrupted what was described as a plot to assassinate the leader of one of New York’s most active pro-Palestinian protest groups Thursday night, according to a federal law enforcement official and a lawyer for the activist.

The FBI notified the activist, Nerdeen Kiswani, and her legal team late Thursday that one or more arrests had been made in connection with an imminent attempt on her life, but did not identify the suspects or inform her of the motive, the lawyer said.

The federal law enforcement official, who is based in New Jersey, confirmed that a plot targeting Kiswani had been halted, but provided no additional details. The plot was disrupted by the New York Police Department and the FBI, which conducted a search in Hoboken, New Jersey, on Thursday and made at least one arrest in connection with the investigation, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. Charges were expected to be made public later Friday.

“The FBI conducted court-authorized law enforcement activity in the vicinity of Willow Avenue and Clinton Street in Hoboken, New Jersey,” said a statement from the FBI’s New York office released Friday. “The investigation remains ongoing and no additional details can be provided at this time.”

In a statement to The New York Times, Kiswani said FBI agents had told her on Thursday night that “a plot against my life was ‘about to’ take place.”

She added: “I will have more to say as additional details come to light. I will not stop speaking up for the people of Palestine. Thank you for your support.”

Founder of Protest Group

Kiswani, 31, is the co-founder of the pro-Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime, which has organized countless protests to draw attention to the suffering of Palestinians during Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip. The organization has become known in New York for its, at times, inflammatory rhetoric and disruptive tactics, including a demonstration that led the Police Department to shut down Grand Central Terminal.

Kiswani has drawn the opprobrium of pro-Israel groups for saying she supports the liberation of the Palestinian people “by any means necessary,” including armed resistance. Protesters at events organized by her group sometimes wave the flags of Hamas and Hezbollah.

The group’s tactics and its use of certain slogans have led to accusations that it and its members are antisemitic. Kiswani has long denied those accusations, and argued that her activism opposes Israel, its policies and its structure as a Jewish state. A common chant at Within Our Lifetime protests is: “Judaism, yes, Zionism no! The state of Israel has got to go!”

But pro-Israel and many Jewish groups have rejected that argument, calling it a smoke screen and saying Zionism is intrinsic to the religious or ethnic identity of many American Jews.

Officially, Within Our Lifetime has a small membership that may not exceed a few dozen people. But since the war in Gaza began, its reach has grown significantly. Its protests often attract hundreds of people whose marches have closed bridges and stalled traffic in the city’s busy streets.

When Meta shut down the group’s Instagram account in February 2024, just five months after the start of the war, it had roughly 180,000 followers.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Liam Stack, Tracey Tully and William K. Rashbaum/Graham Dickie
c. 2026 The New York Times Company