Arizona prosecutors have chosen not to send back a murder suspect to New York City, pointing to concerns about how Manhattan’s District Attorney handles cases involving violent offenders.
26-year-old Raad Noan Almansoori, the suspect, was apprehended in Arizona for the non-lethal stabbing of two women on February 18th. Almansoori is also sought in connection to the homicide of Denisse Oleas-Arancibia, 38, discovered deceased in a SoHo 54 Hotel room in Manhattan on February 8th. Upon his arrest in Arizona, Almansoori informed law enforcement of his murder warrant in New York, directing them to search for “SoHo 54 Hotel.” Previously, Almansoori had been released on bail since September 2023 following his arrest in Florida in April of that year on charges of kidnapping and assault.
Rachel Mitchell, the District Attorney in Maricopa County, announced during a press briefing that Almansoori would remain in Arizona and not be extradited to New York City. Mitchell clarified that this decision was not a reflection on the efforts of the New York Police Department, whom she commended for their diligence. Instead, she attributed the decision to Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney.
Mitchell suggested that it would be more prudent to detain Almansoori in Maricopa County, expressing concerns about the treatment of violent offenders in Manhattan. She cited an incident involving a group of undocumented immigrants who assaulted two NYPD officers in Times Square and were recently released without bail as an example.
Emily Tuttle, a representative for D.A. Bragg, accused Mitchell of politicizing a murder inquiry, labeling it as disrespectful to both the victim and the NYPD. Tuttle also criticized Mitchell’s actions, pointing out that New York City’s murder rate is only half of Phoenix’s rate, and emphasized that murders have decreased by 24% since Bragg took office as D.A.
Yet, Paul DiGiacomo, the president of the NYPD Detectives Endowment Association, backed Mitchell’s choice to refrain from extraditing the suspect to New York, condemning Bragg for his perceived leniency towards criminal activities.
