Authorities in New York City have charged a Texas man with making “terroristic” threats against Zohran Mamdani over a series of menacing voicemail and written messages that the suspect allegedly left for the mayoral candidate.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said on Monday that Jeremy Fistel, 44, left the messages, which suggested that Mamdani should fear for his life, in June and July.
“The defendant told the assemblyman to go back to Uganda before someone shoots him in the head, to keep an eye on his house and family, to watch his back every second until he leaves America, and that he and his relatives deserve to die,” Katz said.
“Let me be very clear – we take threats of violence against any office holder extremely seriously – and there is no room for hate or bigotry in our political discourse.”
According to Katz’s office, in one statement submitted through the website of Mamdani, who is currently serving as a member of the New York State Assembly, the suspect allegedly wrote: “I’d love to see an [Israeli military] bullet go through your skull. Would be even better if you had to watch your wife and kids murdered in front [of] you.”
Fistel was charged with 22 counts, for which he can spend up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
The charges come amid rising concern about political violence in the United States after the September 10 assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
In June, a gunman also killed Melissa Hortman, a top Democratic lawmaker in Minnesota, and her husband.
Fistel appeared in court in New York and pleaded not guilty. He was later released on a $30,000 bail.
According to The Associated Press news agency, defence lawyer Todd Douglas Greenberg argued that Fistel used words like “hope” and “wish” and did not issue a direct threat to Mamdani.
“No one is sitting here arguing that what my client allegedly said was proper. It was unpleasant speech, but it was free speech,” Greenberg was quoted as saying.
A local reporter posted a video of Fistel, dressed in a black hoodie and a pair of jeans, quickly walking away from reporters as he exited the courthouse.
The victory of Mamdani in New York City’s Democratic primaries in June sparked an Islamophobic backlash from many conservative lawmakers and activists.
Last week, Mamadani told The New York Times that he received new threats after the killing of Kirk, but promised to continue campaigning in the same way ahead of the general elections in November.
“It won’t change how I move through the city that I love,” he said.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) welcomed the charges against Fistel on Thursday.
“No public servant – or any individual– should be subjected to Islamophobic harassment or violence simply for serving their community or for being who they are,” Afaf Nasher, CAIR-New York executive director, said in a statement.
“Hate has no place in our state or our nation.”
