Survivors of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing have strongly criticized mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani for posting a smiling photo with a controversial imam whom federal prosecutors once considered an “indicted co-conspirator” in the attack.
Mamdani, 34, shared a picture of himself alongside 75-year-old Imam Siraj Wahhaj on Friday, describing him as a “leader and pillar” of the Muslim community in Brooklyn and across the country. However, critics were quick to highlight Wahhaj’s contentious past, including the memories of those who survived the terror attack he was accused of helping orchestrate.
“Nobody should minimize what happened,” said former Port Authority executive director Stan Brezenoff, whose offices were located within the World Trade Center when Islamic extremists detonated a massive car bomb in the North Tower’s parking garage in 1993. The attack claimed six lives and injured over a thousand people.
Brezenoff explained that although the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center ultimately overshadowed the original bombing, the 1993 incident remains a vivid and traumatic experience for New Yorkers who lived through it. “The hospitals were overwhelmed,” he recalled. “The towers were closed for months, and workers were terrified to return when they reopened. People didn’t want to go back to work. There was trepidation.”
Although Wahhaj was never formally charged in connection with the bombing, federal investigators scrutinized him after discovering that some of the men behind the attack had attended his mosque. Prosecutors believed he may have been involved but lacked sufficient evidence to bring charges. Some later criticized the investigation, suggesting the scope of suspects was too broad, according to reports from the New York Times.
Wahhaj has consistently denied any involvement in the attack. However, he has also defended some of the attackers and referred to the FBI and CIA as the “real terrorists.” Beyond allegations related to the 1993 bombing, Wahhaj has a long history of condemning American society and supporting individuals widely considered terrorists.
Mamdani did not respond to requests for comment regarding his association with Wahhaj. For many who were present at the World Trade Center in 1993 or had loved ones there, any relationship with Wahhaj is unacceptable.
“These incidents are very personal to people in New York. They are our family members, our friends, our neighbors, people we care about,” said Maria Danzilo, 69, whose sister was inside the North Tower on the day of the attack. Her sister was forced to escape through a smoke-filled stairwell, suffering serious smoke inhalation and lasting trauma.
“Why trigger people like this? It seems unnecessary. Don’t you want to heal the past? Do we really want to make people so upset? It just seems like it’s not good for the city after so many terrible things have happened,” Danzilo expressed, speaking out both in person and on social media.
Danzilo’s sister later fled New York City for Washington, D.C., only to find herself a block from the Pentagon during the 9/11 attacks. “These weren’t abstract ‘events’ for so many New Yorkers. They were life-changing events,” Danzilo said.
While she works for the pro-Andrew Cuomo PAC Fix the City, Danzilo emphasized that her anger toward Mamdani’s post with Wahhaj is not connected to support for his political opponent.
“Anyone who votes, supports, or endorses Mamdani must suffer from a critical memory lapse of the February 26, 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center,” said another critic, Conti. “What happened to the New York City mantra, ‘Never Forget’?”
https://nypost.com/2025/10/19/us-news/survivors-of-93-world-trade-center-terror-attack-bash-zohran-mamdani-for-smiley-pic-with-unindicted-co-conspirator-hellish-experience/