Suspect Arrested in Racist Threat Against NYC Mayoral Candidate
The individual accused of making racist death threats against New York City mayoral candidate Zoran Mamdani has been apprehended in Texas and is set to appear in court in New York on Thursday. This follows charges related to hate and terrorism threats, according to law enforcement sources.
Jeremy Fistel, aged 44, will face charges at Queens Court after being taken into custody in Plano last week for a menacing message where he threatened to blow up Mamdani’s vehicle, as reported.
The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force, with assistance from the US Marshals Service’s Regional Flow Task Force, captured Fistel and facilitated his return to New York.
Fistel faces several serious charges including threats of harassment, two counts of aggressive harassment classified as hate crimes, and targeted harassment based on race and religion, according to reports.
It’s alleged that he sent multiple racist messages to Mamdani, who is a Muslim U.S. citizen originally from Uganda, threatening his state assembly office from untraceable phone numbers in June.
In one voicemail, he allegedly stated, “You are a s-t terrorist and are not welcome in New York or America. Also, you should give F-K because you are not in the F-kin family.”
In another message, Fistel warned, “Start your car and see what happens. I’m keeping an eye on your home and family. Watch as your F-K squeeze F-King until you get F-K from America. No one wants your terrorist way here. ‘Beep.’
Additionally, on June 11, he told Mamdani to go back to Uganda, insisting, “You’re not compatible with our Western values. So stop spitting out your anti-Semitistic rhetoric and stop getting f-k from America.”
Staff members at Mamdani’s Queens office promptly reported the voicemails to law enforcement. The campaign had already received at least four other voicemails containing anti-Muslim threats as early as March, according to police.
A spokesperson for Mamdani’s campaign mentioned that, although he does not own a car, “we’re taking all sorts of precautions” to ensure his safety.
