Man charged with hate crimes for threatening NYC mayoral candidate Mamdani
Sid Shniad
Man charged with hate crimes for threatening NYC mayoral candidate Mamdani
Jeremy Fistel, who is Jewish, allegedly threatened far-left Israel critic with references to the IDF and Hezbollah
By Luke Tress
NEW YORK — A man was charged on Thursday with threatening New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani using Islamophobic slurs and references to the IDF.
The suspect, Jeremy Fistel, 44, is from a Jewish community in Massachusetts and was arrested in Texas.
He was indicted in the Queens Supreme Court on 22 charges, including aggravated harassment and making a terroristic threat as a hate crime.
Fistel is suspected of making the threats in June and July via phone calls and messages sent online.
“Nobody wants your terrorist ways here, and check your beeper too,” one of the voice messages said, apparently in reference to an Israeli operation that targeted the Hezbollah terror group’s beepers.
“I’d love to see an IDF bullet go through your skull,” a message sent to Mamdani’s website said, according to the Queens District Attorney. Mamdani is based in the borough.
Some of the other messages said, “Muslims don’t belong here,” called Mamdani a “terrorist,” said he was “not welcome in New York or in America,” and threatened Mamdani’s family.
Mamdani’s staff reported the messages to police on June 18. Fistel had blocked his call identification, but investigators later traced the calls to his phone and the online messages to his email.
Fistel was arrested in Plano, Texas, and extradited to New York. He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison.
Fistel pleaded not guilty, was held on a $30,000 bail, and will appear in court next on Friday.
Mamdani is a harsh critic of Israel who caused repeated controversies during the mayoral primary campaign with his anti-Israel rhetoric, particularly his defense of the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which many Jews view as a threat. He has since said he would “discourage” the use of the slogan.
Mamdani won the primary in June, making him the heavy favorite to win the general election in November.
Thursday’s indictment came amid anxiety in the US about targeted violence and assassinations following the killing of Charlie Kirk.