The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is criticizing Mayor Zohran Mamdani for creating what officials describe as a security nightmare ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to New York in September, according to a report by the New York Post.
Netanyahu is expected to arrive in the city next month for the United Nations General Assembly and is scheduled to address the assembly on September 26.
NYPD sources said Netanyahu’s visit will require substantial, presidential-level security. They specifically pointed to Mamdani’s recent public statements against the prime minister, which include calls for his arrest and encouragement for the public to protest Netanyahu’s presence as sources of their security concerns.
“Basically, he’s turning what would be considered a category 1 hurricane that we deal with every year into a category 5 because of his words,” a NYPD source told the NYP.
“We have to protect hotels; we have to protect wherever dignitaries go out to eat; we have to protect everything,” the source added. “Having the mayor say, ‘Go ahead and protest, and he should be arrested’ is unfair to your own officers.”
Netanyahu’s complete schedule for his visit to New York is not yet known, so the final number of police officers required for his security detail is still uncertain.
However, up to 60 or more officers could end up being a part of his security detail, including both direct and peripheral personnel, according to another NYPD source.
Police express concern over Netanyahu's safety
“What’s going to stop one of the protesters from becoming a vigilante and trying to hurt or, God forbid, kill him?” the source questioned.
Officers are also reportedly worried that protesters who believe they are acting on the mayor’s behalf “could cause an officer to get hurt or even killed,” the source told the NYPD.
Another NYPD source reminded the NYP about the bomb that was discovered outside Gracie Mansion in March. Two men from Pennsylvania, reportedly inspired by ISIS, allegedly attempted to detonate bombs in a crowd during the “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City” protest.
The source expressed concern about the possibility of a similar attempted terrorist attack during Netanyahu’s visit.
Mamdani’s “rhetoric is reckless,” the official said. “It emboldens radical and unstable agitators who could endanger both New Yorkers and law enforcement officers.”
A NYC government source also shared concerns about the recent increase in antisemitism with the NYP, linking it to Mamdani’s stance on Israel.
“It’s very concerning,” said the insider. “I mean, [Mamdani’s] rhetoric has clearly caused this uptick in antisemitism all across our city, and now telling people to go out and protest is going to create a powder keg situation.”
“It’s not the mayor’s job to tell people to protest and to urge them to do so,” the city government source concluded. “It’s likely to be very violent. And I mean, what on Earth is this accomplishing?”
Mamdani's history of anti-Netanyahu rhetoric
Mamdani’s anti-Netanyahu rhetoric has been a consistent theme throughout both his campaign and his tenure in political office. During his 2025 New York City mayoral campaign, Mamdani pledged to arrest Netanyahu and stated that he would seek to enforce International Criminal Court (ICC) warrants if elected.
He reiterated this pledge in a recent interview with The New York Times in July.
“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague. Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that’s what we will do, but we won’t be writing our own laws to that end,” Mamdani said.
However, later that week, the mayor was compelled to admit that his administration lacks the authority to execute the ICC’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu, as stated in a video released by the mayor’s office.
Despite this, he continued to accuse Netanyahu of being responsible for an alleged “genocide against the Palestinian people” and for blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza, adding that Netanyahu “is not welcome in New York City.”