By 5 Towns Central Staff

NEW YORK, N.Y. (July 20, 2026)

State Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein (D-Brooklyn) is asking New York Attorney General Letitia James to investigate whether Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s public statements about arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu violate state law.

In a letter sent Monday, Eichenstein argued that New York’s Criminal Procedure Law gives arrest authority to law enforcement, not elected officials, and prohibits mayors from directing or influencing police to target a specific individual. He contended that using the mayor’s office to encourage an arrest for political or ideological reasons could amount to official misconduct, a Class A misdemeanor under state law.

Eichenstein also pointed to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu, arguing that it has no legal force in the United States because the U.S. is not a party to the ICC. As a result, he said the warrant cannot serve as a legal basis for any arrest by New York authorities.

The request follows repeated comments by Mamdani, 34, who campaigned on the idea of arresting Netanyahu if the Israeli leader travels to New York, including for the United Nations General Assembly. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Mamdani said Netanyahu “belongs in The Hague” and confirmed his administration was engaged in an “active conversation” about the possibility of detaining him.

Mamdani has maintained that Netanyahu is the subject of an ICC warrant alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the war in Gaza. At the same time, he said any action taken by his administration would comply with all applicable local laws.

“I’ve also made clear that my administration will follow all applicable local laws,” Mamdani told reporters Monday.