Texas man extradited to New York on threats against Mamdani

A Texas man was arrested and extradited to New York this week on charges that he left a series of racist and Islamophobic death threats against Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic mayoral nominee and a New York state assemblyman, authorities said. Jeremy Fistel, 44, of Plano, was taken into custody in Texas last week and arraigned Thursday in Queens on a 22 count indictment that includes terroristic threat and aggravated harassment charges, some of them filed as hate crimes, prosecutors said.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said prosecutors allege Fistel left a barrage of voicemails and written messages directed at Mamdani between June and July, telling him to return to Uganda, warning him to watch his car and family, and suggesting he and his relatives deserved to die. Prosecutors said one written statement submitted through Mamdani’s website invoked the image of an Israeli military bullet going through his skull and wished that he be forced to watch his wife and children being murdered. Katz said in a statement that threats against any office holder are taken extremely seriously and that there is no room for hate or bigotry in political discourse.