New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani gave the ceremonial pen from a 9/11 remembrance signing to his chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem, a man who once represented a convicted al Qaeda member tied by marriage to one of the 9/11 hijackers.
The handoff happened Friday, days before the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Mamdani signed executive orders designating September 11 a citywide day of remembrance and service and strengthening efforts to stop future terrorist threats. After signing the final order, Mamdani passed the pen to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and asked her to give it to Kassem.
Kassem previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi, who pleaded guilty to war-crime charges connected to al Qaeda plots against commercial ships. Al-Darbi’s sister was married to Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the hijackers aboard American Airlines Flight 77, the plane that struck the Pentagon and killed 184 people.
City Hall told the New York Post that Kassem was at the ceremony because he and his team had drafted both executive orders as part of his job as chief counsel. Mamdani’s office did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Backlash follows Mamdani’s growing 9/11 controversy
The gesture set off criticism on social media, with users saying it distracted from an event meant to honor the dead 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,” podcaster Benny Johnson wrote on X.
“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.”
Kassem’s history includes founding a CUNY legal clinic that provides free representation to Muslims. He also represented Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of the pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University who was later detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
This is not the first time Mamdani has drawn criticism this month tied to 9/11 commemorations. An old post of his resurfaced ahead of the Ground Zero ceremony, and he faced separate criticism for reposting near-identical 9/11 tributes in prior years.
