ICC prosecutor whose Netanyahu warrant fueled Mamdani arrest threat is fired over sexual misconduct

The International Criminal Court prosecutor whose arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became central to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s threat to arrest the Israeli leader was dismissed Friday after member states voted to remove him over sexual misconduct allegations.Karim Khan, the ICC’s chief prosecutor, was removed after a vote by the Assembly of States Parties, the court’s 125-member governing body, following disciplinary proceedings tied to allegations involving a junior female staffer in his office. Khan has denied wrongdoing.

The decision marked the first time in the ICC’s history that a sitting chief prosecutor has been removed from office. Khan’s removal comes days after Secretary of State Marco Rubio launched a U.S.

campaign to "dismantle" the ICC, accusing the court of threatening American sovereignty.MAMDANI GOES BACK ON CAMPAIGN PROMISE, SAYS NYC CAN'T ARREST NETANYAHUKhan became one of the world’s most controversial prosecutors after pursuing ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The ICC issued the warrants in November 2024, prompting fierce condemnation from Israel and the United States, neither of which is a member of the court.

The warrants also became a flashpoint in New York politics after Mamdani repeatedly invoked the ICC case against Netanyahu. Mamdani said during his campaign that he would seek to arrest Netanyahu if the Israeli prime minister came to New York, and later acknowledged as mayor that the city lacks authority to enforce the warrant while calling on the federal government to do so.The ICC, based in The Hague in Holland, is a permanent international court created under the Rome Statute to prosecute individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression when national courts are unable or unwilling to act.

WORLD COURT PROSECUTOR WHO WENT AFTER NETANYAHU FOR WAR CRIMES SUSPENDED OVER