Claiming she fears the suspect would be immediately released on the streets of New York, Republican Maricopa County (Arizona) Attorney Rachel Mitchell has instructed her staff to refuse an extradition request by New York officials for a suspected murderer arrested in her jurisdiction, NBC News reports.
The suspect, Raad Noan Almansoori, 26, is wanted in connection with the murder of 38-year-old Denisse Oleas-Arancibia at a Manhattan hotel earlier this month. Almansoori was arrested in Arizona for the non-fatal stabbings of a woman. During questioning in Arizona, he also reportedly implicated himself in a string of assaults across the country including an attempted murder in Florida.
“This is not aimed the New York Police Department at all. I know they did a hard job, they did a good job, but we will not be agreeing to extradition,” Mitchell said. “I’ve instructed my extradition attorneys not to agree to that. We’re going to keep him here.” Phoenix, incidentally, has a murder rate (11.6/110k) higher than Manhattan (5/100k).