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A Texas man has been arrested for allegedly making threatening phone calls to mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani. The suspect, who was traced to Plano, Texas, was taken into custody after the NYPD, with help from the FBI and local agencies, linked him to the calls. The suspect waived extradition and is set to appear in a Queens court today for threat-related charges, according to NBC New York.
The NYPD began investigating the threats, which date back to June, after Mamdani, a Muslim democratic socialist, reported receiving multiple death threats, including voicemails threatening to blow up his car. The threats also contained Islamophobic language, prompting the NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force to get involved. NY1 reports that Mamdani's campaign has faced various forms of intimidation, including physical confrontations with Trump supporters.
Mamdani, endorsed by national figures like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is currently leading independent Andrew Cuomo by 21 points in the polls for the mayoral race. Despite the threats, there is no evidence of a specific plot against him, according to a senior law enforcement official. The arrest comes amidst heightened security concerns for political figures following recent violent incidents involving elected officials across the United States, as reported by The Guardian.
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