Mamdani's 2015 post on al-Qaida terrorist returns to haunt him
"Why no proper interrogation of what it means for the FBI to have conducted an extensive survey into Awlaki's private life? (sic)" asked Mamdani on X (formerly Twitter) in 2015."How could Awlaki have ever trusted the FBI to not release surveillance, especially if he continued to critique [the] state? Why no further discussion of how Awlaki's knowledge of surveillance eventually led him to alqaeda? Or what that says about [the] efficacy of surveillanec? (sic)," Mamdani said.
Screenshort of Zohran Mamdani's 2015 posts.
Awlaki, who was born in New Mexico to Yemeni parents, served as an imam in US mosques and came under federal scrutiny for his suspected ties to three of the 9/11 terrorists, according to a report in the New York Post.Though never charged with involvement in the attacks, Awlaki later emerged as a senior figure in al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and was killed in a 2011 US drone strike in Yemen.He was put under surveillance by the FBI after 9/11, a probe that uncovered, among other things, that the conservative, family-values-preaching cleric was frequenting sex workers at hotels, according to the report.OBAMA ORDERED AIRSTRIKE ON THE AMERICAN CITIZENAl-Awlaki moved to Yemen in 2004, where he joined terror outfit al-Qaida and helped plan multiple terrorist attacks while spreading jihadist messages through videos and recordings.The cleric was considered so dangerous that then-president Barack Obama approved the drone strike that killed him in 2011, an unprecedented assassination of an American citizen who had not been charged with a crime, The New York Post reported."He directed the failed attempt to blow up an airplane on Christmas Day in 2009. He directed the failed attempt to blow up US cargo planes in 2010," Obama said at the time, according to the report."And he repeatedly called on individuals in the United States and around the globe to kill innocent men, women, and children to advance a murderous agenda," Obama added.
Al-Awlaki moved to Yemen in 2004 and joined terror outfit al-Qaeda (Photo: AFP)
MAMDANI'S COMMENTS ENRAGED 9/11 VICTIMS' FAMILIES, US OFFICIALSMamdani's comments have enraged 9/11 victims' families and US anti-terror officials, who view his remarks as insensitive.Retired Long Island Representative Peter King said holding the US responsible for al-Awlaki's deeds is like blaming the Jews for Hitler."To blame the United States for al-Awlaki is like blaming the Jews for Hitler," King, who chaired the House Homeland Security Committee and served on the Intelligence Committee that received confidential briefings on the slain terrorist, was quoted as saying by the New York Post."Mamdani is making excuses and rationalising al-Awlaki joining al-Qaida," King added.Former Lieutenant of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Jim McCaffrey, whose brother-in-law, FDNY Battalion 7 Chief Orio Palmer, rushed into the World Trade Centre's south tower to try to help people before the building collapsed, called Mamdani's comments "very offensive to 9/11 victims and their families," the New York-based tabloid reported."It's offensive to all New Yorkers and all Americans," he said."It's an absolutely ridiculous assertion on Mamdani's part. The FBI agents were doing their job," said McCaffrey, who himself spent many days participating in search and recovery efforts at Ground Zero.advertisement"This guy, al-Awlaki had connections to al-Qaida. But [Mamdani's] blaming the FBI?" he said, slamming Mamdani.The New York Post reported that intelligence sources claimed al-Awlaki's disciples had been linked to about a quarter of the Islamists convicted of terrorism-related offences in the US from 2007 until his death.- EndsMust Watch
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
32 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Netanyahu nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize after meeting at White House, Gaza ceasefire discussed
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that he has nominated US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, an honour the American leader has long coveted after one of his predecessor's, Barack Obama, received it in 2009. Netanyahu handed a copy of the letter to Trump which he had sent to the Norwegian Nobel Committee with his name in the nomination form. Netanyahu described Trump's 'leadership of a just cause' as he allowed US planes to enter the Iranian airspace and target its nuclear facilities last month, which also brought a 12-day Israel-Iran conflict to an end. Netanyahu termed Trump in the 'pursuit of peace and security' in 'many lands' as the Israeli prime minister praised the US president's 'extraordinary team'. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presents President Trump with a letter nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 7, 2025 'I want to express the appreciation and admiration, not only of all Israelis, but of the Jewish people and many, many admirers around the world for your leadership,' Netanyahu said, reported The Independent. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met today at Blair House in Washington, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. They first held an expanded meeting and then met privately. — Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) July 7, 2025 Netanyahu is in the United States for his third visit after Trump returned to the White House in January and his first meeting with the US president after the Iran conflict ended. Before leaving for Washington, the Israeli leader had said that his discussions with the Trump administration could help advance negotiations under way in Qatar between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Netanyahu, during a brief press interaction ahead of a 'private dinner' with Trump said, 'I think our teams together make an extraordinary combination to meet challenges and seize opportunities. But the President has already realized great opportunities. He forged the Abraham accords. He's forging peace, as we speak, in one country, in one region after the other.' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt detailed the meeting between Netanyahu and Trump and said that there were 'many important matters' that were 'obviously ongoing' in the Middle East region for the leaders to discuss.
Mint
38 minutes ago
- Mint
Trump pushes global trade war back to the top of his agenda
President Trump reignited his global trade war Monday, renewing his threat to hit partners with punishing tariffs even as he announced a three-week extension to negotiate deals. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump would sign an executive order extending the date when his so-called reciprocal tariffs would take effect, previously scheduled to expire at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. Additionally, Trump sent letters to a handful of nations outlining tariff rates they would pay if they didn't strike trade deals with the U.S. by Aug. 1. 'The administration—the president and his trade team—want to cut the best deals for the American people and the American worker," Leavitt said, adding that the delay in the deadline is in the 'best interest" of the country. Trump, on his Truth Social platform, posted letters to the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and others by Monday afternoon, informing them of the Aug. 1 date. Leavitt suggested that just more than a dozen nations would get letters but didn't specify how the countries were chosen. More than 80 countries were subject to the 'Liberation Day" tariffs that were first announced April 2. 'Please understand that these Tariffs are necessary to correct the many years of Japan's Tariff, and Non Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers, causing these unsustainable Trade Deficits against the United States," Trump wrote in his letter addressed to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. 'This Deficit is a major threat to our Economy and, indeed, our National Security!" Letters to other nations were nearly identical, though the rate varied from 25% to 40%, depending on the country. The rates were generally closely tied to the original reciprocal rates set in April, though some were slightly different (Japan's new 25% rate is 1 percentage point higher than the 24% rate set in April). The emphasis on trade follows big wins for Trump in the past two weeks, including signing his tax and domestic policy megabill and helping broker a cease-fire between Israel and Iran. U.S. job growth in June was steadier than economists had expected, signaling strength in the economy. 'We are going to have several announcements in the next 48 hours," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday morning on CNBC. Wilbur Ross, Trump's first-term Secretary of Commerce, said the president was moving the goal posts for imposing tariffs while also trying to up the ante by issuing statements reminding world leaders of his pending levies. 'Effectively what he has done has said this is what the tariffs will be if [other countries] don't do something different," Ross said, adding that the original July 9 date was 'very, very hard to achieve." Interests that represent U.S. trade-reliant businesses have welcomed the Trump team's stated desire to lower other nations' trade barriers, but decried his continued use of high tariffs as leverage. 'The President's strategic uncertainty is producing some short term results, but continuing to threaten exorbitant tariff rates is just paralyzing for business decision-making and erodes trust with our allies and major trading partners," said Jake Colvin, the president of the National Foreign Trade Council, which represents large U.S. firms. Myanmar's rate would be 40% on Aug. 1, down from 44%, while Laos's would fall to 40% from 48%. Kazakhstan's rate would fall from 27% to 25%. Malaysia's new rate would rise to 25% from the 24% announced on Liberation Day, just like Japan's, while South Africa's rate would stay constant at 30%, as would South Korea's at 25%. The administration didn't explain why some rates changed. The reciprocal tariffs wouldn't be applied to products that are covered under Trump's separate national-security tariffs, a White House official said. So far, the president has applied 50% national-security tariffs on steel and aluminum, and 25% on automobiles. Similar tariffs for semiconductors, lumber, critical minerals and copper are being studied by the Commerce Department. U.S. officials have promised that they would strike pacts with other nations to lower tariffs in exchange for more market access and fewer regulations on U.S. firms abroad. So far, the administration has struck a narrow pact with the U.K., arrived at a tenuous tariff truce with China, and announced a deal with Vietnam (though neither nation has provided any evidence that an agreement has been officially signed). Trump in recent days has said he thought a deal was close with India, among other nations, but Leavitt gave no indication of which—if any—will be unveiled in the coming days. Write to Gavin Bade at and Brian Schwartz at
Mint
38 minutes ago
- Mint
Sebi crackdown on Jane Street has an unexpected fallout on IITs
The interim ban on Jane Street from accessing the market for alleged manipulation has left the Indian Institutes of Technology in a bind. The nation's top engineering colleges must quickly decide whether the high-frequency trading firm will be allowed to hire from their campuses. The placement teams are 'evaluating" how acceptable is the US-headquartered firm, which usually picks up students during their internship process and then rolls out pre-placement offers. 'We are evaluating our options. The internship process for the batch of 2026 will start in a few days and companies come in during July and August," said one of the placement executives at an IIT whose alumni are working for the firm. 'Jane Street has been a regular recruiter over the last few years, but we are awaiting the regulator's [final] decision." The executive added that Jane Street has notput in its name yet, while some of its competitors have contacted the college. For IITs, this risks striking out a prominent hirer as markets face volatility amid global trade uncertainty and wars. Their concerns stem from the Securities and Exchange Board of India's 3 July interim order barring four Jane Street entities from accessing the market till they deposit the alleged illegal gains worth ₹4,843 crore into an escrow account. The quant trading firm is being investigated for alleged manipulation of the Bank Nifty index on expiry days. Sebi also froze the firm's bank and demat accounts and barred them from the securities market until further notice. 'This interim order has only looked at 18 major instances of prima facie index manipulation," a Sebi official told Mint on 3 July, speaking on the condition of anonymity. 'Investigations into other expiry days, other indices, and potential patterns will continue. The scope is large and timelines are hard to predict." In a statement to Mint, Jane Street said, 'We dispute the findings of the Sebi interim order and will continue to engage with the regulator. Jane Street remains committed to operating in compliance with all regulations in the regions where we operate." Over the last few years, Jane Street has recruited from IIT-Delhi, Bombay and Madras. HFT and quant firms hire candidates who can analyze markets using mathematical and statistical models. Despite theglobal crests and troughs, this segment managed to recruit students from IITs at salaries of about ₹1 crore and higher. IIT-Delhi, Bombay and Madras did not respond to Mint's queries sent on Monday. Some of the other HFTs that hire from IITs include Da Vinci, Optiver, Squarepoint, Tibra, Quadeye, Graviton Research Capital, JPMC Quant, and Maverick Derivatives. A few prefer to visit during the final placements. 'The high-frequency trading firms were sought after, but there are other companies in the same sector who may get a preference," said a placement executive at one of the older IITs. 'The placement teams and management will look into the matter, and if Jane Street is not allowed, then others are there." Jane Street does not recruit during the final placement season, which is typically in December for the older IITs. It picks up students during the internship period, and those selected get offers that can reach up to ₹4 crore. Of India's 23 IITs, the first-generation institutes–IIT Madras, Bombay, Delhi, Kharagpur, Roorkee and Kanpur–start the placement season on 1 December. The second- and third-generation IITs, along with the National Institutes of Technology (NITs), begin earlier in August-September to get a headstart.
