The mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, became embroiled in a new controversy after publicly acknowledging that he has no legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite having previously promised that he would attempt to execute the order issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) if the leader visited the city.
In a video released by the mayor's office, Mamdani admitted that, after reviewing all available legal alternatives, the city of New York lacks the authority to execute an international arrest warrant, a power that belongs exclusively to the federal government of the United States.
Mamdani acknowledged that his promise was impossible to fulfill
The mayor, identified with the more radical wing of the American left, had repeatedly assured that Netanyahu would be arrested if he entered New York.
However, he now acknowledged that "there is no independent legal authority" for the city to execute an order from the International Criminal Court, revealing that his promise lacked legal basis.
