The FBI arrested a dual US-German citizen at John F. Kennedy Airport for attempting to firebomb the US Embassy branch office in Tel Aviv, Israel, the Justice Department has announced.

Joseph Neumayer, 28, is charged on Sunday with attempting to destroy the embassy facility using fire or explosives

FBI special agents arrested Neumayer upon his arrival in New York after Israeli authorities deported him to the United States.

Neumeyer made his initial court appearance before US Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo in the Eastern District of New York, where he was ordered detained.

According to the complaint, Neumayer arrived in Israel in April and approached the Tel Aviv embassy on May 19 carrying a backpack containing three improvised incendiary devices, commonly known as Molotov cocktails.

Threatening messages

Neumeyer's social media posts revealed threatening messages, including "join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv", with other posts believed to be used by Neumeyer threatening US President Donald Trump's life.

"The Department will not tolerate such violence and will prosecute this defendant to the fullest extent of the law," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said.

FBI Director Kash Patel called it "despicable and violent behaviour."

If convicted, Neumeyer faces five to 20 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines, according to the Justice Department.

Two days after Neumeyer's alleged attempted attack in Tel Aviv, a man shot dead two Israeli embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum in Washington.