Three men were reportedly caught on security cameras climbing out of a New York City sewer before dawn near a hotel where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was staying during his visit for the United Nations General Assembly.
This happened at about 4:30 am on Wednesday near Park Avenue and East 61st Street on Manhattan's Upper East Side, NBC reported. Police said the three men emerged from a manhole and later left the area in vehicles.
The New York Police Department said there was no indication that the men were connected to Netanyahu, the UN or any planned attack. Police said they had already dealt with similar cases in New York in recent months.
Deep Dive
What were the circumstances surrounding the emergence of the three men from a manhole near Netanyahu's hotel?
Why did Netanyahu's speech at the UN General Assembly attract widespread attention?
What implications does Netanyahu's ICC arrest warrant have for his international travel?
People have been seen entering or emerging from manholes in different parts of the city, including Brooklyn, sometimes apparently looking for valuables or scrap metal.
“We have seen a number of incidents over the past few months of individuals going into the sewer system to look for valuables and other scrap metal after a storm,” New York police said in a statement. “This incident fits that same criteria, but out of an abundance of caution given the UN General Assembly and the sensitivity of the location, the NYPD is conducting additional security sweeps with our federal partners,” they added.
Netanyahu speaks at UNGA
{{/usCountry}}“We have seen a number of incidents over the past few months of individuals going into the sewer system to look for valuables and other scrap metal after a storm,” New York police said in a statement. “This incident fits that same criteria, but out of an abundance of caution given the UN General Assembly and the sensitivity of the location, the NYPD is conducting additional security sweeps with our federal partners,” they added.
Netanyahu speaks at UNGA
{{/usCountry}}The sewer sighting came as New York was hosting the 81st UN General Assembly, turning parts of Manhattan into a heavily secured zone for visiting leaders and delegations.
Netanyahu's presence in New York was already attracting intense attention. On Thursday, he addressed the UNGA, where several delegates walked out as he began speaking. Others jeered and booed, while members of his delegation applauded.
“If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t left this hall, please do so now,” Netanyahu said after the walk-out.
In the assembly, he defended Israel's bombardment of several countries and said his government was fighting a “seven-front war”. The Israeli PM named Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Yemen's Houthis and militias in Iraq.
“We are going to win. We have no other choice,” Netanyahu declared. He also thanked US President Donald Trump for his support. “In this battle against the barbarians, we’ve had no greater partner than President Trump,” he said.
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Netanyahu criticised Britain and France over their increasingly vocal opposition to Israel's actions. “They accuse Israel, tiny Israel, of colonialism – some colonialism. And who’s accusing us? Among them are people in Britain and in France. For God’s sakes, they invented the term,” he said.
Clash with New York mayor
Netanyahu also took aim at New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who previously said he would seek the Israeli PM's arrest if he came to the city.
“To all those spreading lies about my country, whether they sit in this hall or in the office of the anti-Semitic mayor of New York, I say this: shame on you,” Netanyahu said. “Mr Mamdani, you tried to stop me from coming here. You tried to silence me. Well, you can’t silence me,” he added.
Zohran Mamdani called the statements “baseless lies” meant to “sanitise [Netanyahu's] genocide of Palestinians”.
ALSO READ | Israel's Netanyahu, at UN, calls accusations of genocide in Gaza as 'the biggest lie of the century'
Netanyahu also rejected accusations that Israel committed genocide in Gaza. Israel’s three-year war on the narrow strip has killed 73,928 people, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Over 1.75 lakh people have also been injured, it said.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him in 2024 over alleged war crimes. Netanyahu has denied the allegations.
During his mayoral election campaign, Mamdani, pointing to the ICC warrant, said he would have Netanyahu arrested if the Israeli prime minister ever came to New York. He later clarified in a July video that the city had no independent authority to enforce it.
Palestinian President speaks from Ramallah
While Netanyahu addressed the assembly in person, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas spoke virtually from Ramallah.
The Trump administration earlier denied visas to a Palestinian delegation for the second year in a row, which prevented Abbas from travelling to New York.
Abbas said Palestine was going through the “most dangerous period” in their history and accused Israel of destroying civilian infrastructure in Gaza.
“Neighbourhoods, cities, refugee camps, institutions, schools, universities, hospitals, mosques, and churches have been destroyed. Every foundation of life, and the future of entire generations, has been targeted.”
He called for renewed international efforts towards a two-state solution.
“Saving the solution begins with preserving the land on which the Palestinian state is to be established” and protecting the people who live on it, he said.
Abbas also said Gaza and the occupied West Bank should eventually be reunited under one Palestinian state.
Protests outside the UN
The confrontation inside the UN chamber was matched by demonstrations outside. Jewish Voice for Peace organised a sit-in near the UN headquarters, while other groups held separate protests later in the day. The NYPD said 103 people were arrested for disorderly conduct and released.
Protesters called for an end to US military support for Israel and demanded accountability over Netanyahu's continued onslaught in Gaza.