A Texas resident was arraigned Thursday, September 18th, in Queens Criminal Court for making multiple anti-Muslim death threats against New York City mayoral candidate and Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani. Jeremy Fistel, 44, of Plano, Texas, was arrested on September 11th and faces a 22-count indictment, including terroristic threats and aggravated harassment. He pleaded not guilty.
Authorities say Fistel left a series of threatening voicemails at Mamdani’s office between June and July, warning the candidate to “go back to Uganda” and stating that he and his family “deserve to die.” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz described the messages as “increasingly alarming” and emphasized that hate and bigotry have no place in political discourse. Fistel was released on $30,000 bail and is ordered to stay away from Mamdani’s home and campaign offices, with a court date set for November 19th.
