The 26-year-old man suspected of stabbing two women in Phoenix and Surprise and wanted in New York City in connection with the bludgeoning death of another has been indicted by a Maricopa County grand jury.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell on Tuesday said Raad Noah Almansoori has been indicted for two counts of attempt to commit first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of attempt to commit armed robbery, two counts of attempt to commit sexual assault and one count of theft of means of transportation.

The charges stem from two separate incidents against two women in Phoenix and Surprise on Feb. 17 and Feb. 18.

He was detained by officers from the Scottsdale Police Department the same day after the second alleged attack, authorities said.

The grand jury indictments replace the direct charges filed against Almansoori last week, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s office.

Last week, Mitchell rejected a request to extradite Almansoori to New York City for a murder investigation, saying it would be more secure to hold him in Arizona.

New York City police officials said they wanted to extradite Almansoori in the Feb. 8 killing of Denisse Oleas-Arancibia, 38, in a hotel in lower Manhattan. The DA’s office said charges in New York are not officially filed until someone is extradited.

Oleas-Arancibia was found by staff on the floor of the hotel room. Her death was determined to have been caused by blunt force trauma to the head, and a broken clothes iron was found at the scene, police said.

In coordination with the FBI, New York officials are looking to see if Almansoori could have any connection to crimes committed in Florida and Texas, where he also previously lived and has been arrested.

Mithcell’s decision not to extradite was viewed by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, led by Alvin Bragg, as “playing political games.”

Mitchell is a Republican. Bragg is a Democrat who brought a high-profile case against former President Donald Trump alleging that hush money was paid during his 2016 campaign to cover up an affair.

“Having observed the treatment of violent criminals in the New York area by Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg, I think it’s safer to keep him here and keep him in custody," Mitchell said.

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office responded.

"It is deeply disturbing that D.A. Mitchell is playing political games in a murder investigation,” Manhattan D.A. spokesperson Emily Tuttle said in a statement. “It is a slap in the face to them and to the victim in our case to refuse to allow us to seek justice and full accountability for a New Yorker’s death.”

The statement also said Bragg’s office is “serious about New Yorkers' safety,” adding that homicides are down 24% since he took office. Tuttle said New York's homicide rate is less than half that of Phoenix's.

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