An investigation into hate crimes has been instigated by the New York Police Department (NYPD) in response to allegations that a man issued a bomb threat against the vehicle of mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, as confirmed by insiders. The threat, which remains anonymous, was embedded in a voicemail delivered to Assemblyman Mamdani’s office situated in Queens on a recent hump day.
The concerningly aggressive voicemail is one amongst at least four such intrusive missives left by the yet unidentified figure in the recent past, as brought to light by the NYPD. Notably, Mamdani’s team refrained from informing the police until they received this particular message that seemed to carry severe implications, according to these sources.
“No arrests have been made yet and our Hate Crime Task Force continues its investigation”, stated a spokesman from the NYPD this past Thursday. He further clarified that the investigation’s primary focus revolves around the perpetrator’s ‘anti-Muslim statements’.
The voicemail aggressively labelled Mamdani, a Muslim, a U.S. citizen with Ugandan roots, as a ‘terrorist’. The caller instigated further fear by threatening, ‘Start your car and see what unfolds.’ The message further warned to maintain vigilance over his house and family.
Additionally, the individual cryptically advised Mamdani to ‘monitor your beeper closely’, using derogatory language while hinting at a potential link to the alarmingly fatal pager attacks attributed to the Israeli government’s actions against the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon in the past year.
Despite Mamdani not possessing a vehicle, the severity and tone of the voicemail message led his team to consider it as a potential threat of a car bomb, according to sources. Consequently, they reported the event to the NYPD.
Significantly, this disturbing scenario was not isolated. Mamdani’s campaign has been met with an increasing extent of divisive and hate-fuelled verbal pugilism, potentially linked to his considerable spending on advertising.
In reaction to the increasing number of threats, security measures have been significantly enhanced for the safety of the Assemblyman and his team. The individual hailing from Queens is known for his democratic socialist beliefs and has consistently secured second place in the recent polling data.
A section of individuals has levelled accusations against Mamdani for allegedly supporting antisemitic causes, attributing these allegations to his vocal support for the Palestinian people. These critics have brought to light a past incident wherein Mamdani was heard on a podcast but did not deny the phrase ‘globalize the intifada.’
However, Mamdani has been forthright in defending himself against such allegations, dismissing them as politically driven. He remains committed to using his platform to combat antisemitism and all forms of hatred and discrimination that persist within society.
News surrounding the threat of the car bomb saw a show of solitary, as the former governor of the state rose in defense of Mamdani. He unequivocally condemned all forms of violence infiltrating politics and society as a whole.
Mamdani used a recent press briefing as an opportunity to bring these threatening messages aimed against him and his family into the public realm, addressing their severity and implications directly.