Zohran Mamdani , the democratic socialist who recently won the Democratic primary for New York City mayor in the US by a wide margin, has landed in controversy over old tweets about the FBI’s surveillance of Anwar al-Awlaki , a US-born cleric later linked to terror group al-Qaida.
Al-Awlaki, born in New Mexico to Yemeni parents, was a well-known imam at mosques in San Diego and Virginia. According to a report by the New York Post, he had contact with three of the September 11, 2001, hijackers. After 9/11, the FBI began monitoring him. Their investigation found that, despite his public preaching of conservative family values, he was visiting prostitutes at hotels.
Mamdani, in tweets from 2015, appeared to question this surveillance. Sharing a New York Times article, he wrote on X (then Twitter), "Why no proper interrogation of what it means for the FBI to have conducted an extensive survey into Awlaki's private life?"
In another post, he said, "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 al-Qaeda? Or what that says about [the] efficacy of surveillanec?"
Anwar al-Awlaki was connected to multiple attacks and plots, including the 9/11 attacks and the Fort Hood shootings in November 2009. After several failed attempts to kill him, the US carried out a drone strike that killed him in western Yemen on September 30, 2011.
The drone strike was ordered by then-US President Barack Obama. Al-Awlaki became the first US citizen to be killed in such a strike without being formally charged with a crime since the American Civil War.
At the time, Obama said, "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." He added, "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."
Al-Awlaki, born in New Mexico to Yemeni parents, was a well-known imam at mosques in San Diego and Virginia. According to a report by the New York Post, he had contact with three of the September 11, 2001, hijackers. After 9/11, the FBI began monitoring him. Their investigation found that, despite his public preaching of conservative family values, he was visiting prostitutes at hotels.
Mamdani, in tweets from 2015, appeared to question this surveillance. Sharing a New York Times article, he wrote on X (then Twitter), "Why no proper interrogation of what it means for the FBI to have conducted an extensive survey into Awlaki's private life?"
1. Fascinating article by @ScottShaneNYT on #AnwarAwlaki http://t.co/QxuWDOf7hb But I take issue w/ a couple things.
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) August 27, 2015
3. Why no proper interrogation of what it means for @FBI to have conducted extensive surv. into #Awlaki's private life?
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) August 27, 2015
3. Re your alt. history - how could #Awlaki have ever trusted @FBI to not release surveillance esp. if he continued to critique state?
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) August 27, 2015
4. Why no further discussion of how #Awlaki's knowledge of surv. eventually led him to #alqaeda? Or what that says about efficacy of surv.?
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) August 27, 2015
In another post, he said, "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 al-Qaeda? Or what that says about [the] efficacy of surveillanec?"
Anwar al-Awlaki was connected to multiple attacks and plots, including the 9/11 attacks and the Fort Hood shootings in November 2009. After several failed attempts to kill him, the US carried out a drone strike that killed him in western Yemen on September 30, 2011.
The drone strike was ordered by then-US President Barack Obama. Al-Awlaki became the first US citizen to be killed in such a strike without being formally charged with a crime since the American Civil War.
At the time, Obama said, "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." He added, "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."
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