Mamdani under fire after symbolic 9/11 pen goes to former al Qaeda defense lawyer
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing backlash after giving a ceremonial pen from a 9/11 remembrance ceremony to a top aide who once represented a convicted al Qaeda member whose brother-in-law hijacked the plane that struck the Pentagon.
Mamdani signed executive orders Friday ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, designating the date a citywide day of remembrance and service and strengthening efforts to prevent future terrorist threats.
After signing the final order, Mamdani handed the pen to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and asked her to pass it to chief counsel Ramzi Kassem. Kassem previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi, who pleaded guilty to war-crime charges tied to al Qaeda plots against commercial ships and was the brother-in-law of Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the hijackers aboard American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon, killing 184.
The handoff drew criticism on social media, with users arguing on X that Kassem’s role in the ceremony distracted from an event meant to honor those killed in the attacks and the first responders who died trying to save them.
"This is a slap in the face to victims ahead of the 25th anniversary of 9/11," wrote podcaster Benny Johnson on X.
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"I sincerely hope the rest of the country understands just how hard it is to be in New York City with this mayor, and especially as we’re approaching this most serious and solemn day for NYC: 9/11," wrote former New York state Senate candidate Maria Danzilo.
Another user on X called it a "deliberate gesture by Mamdani that undermines 9 / 11 yet again with impunity."
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City Hall told the New York Post that Kassem attended the ceremony because he and his team drafted both executive orders as part of his duties as chief counsel.
That role has drawn scrutiny because Kassem previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi, a Guantánamo Bay detainee who pleaded guilty to war-crime charges tied to al Qaeda plots against commercial ships, including the 2002 bombing of a French oil tanker off Yemen’s coast. Al-Darbi’s sister was married to Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the hijackers aboard the plane that crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.
Kassem also founded a CUNY legal clinic that provides free representation to Muslims and represented Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of the pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Mamdani's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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