Mamdani Gives 9/11 Ceremonial Pen To Aide Who Represented Al-Qaeda Operative

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing criticism over an unexpected moment during a City Hall ceremony marking the upcoming 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

After signing executive orders honoring 9/11 victims and strengthening city emergency preparedness, Mamdani directed that the ceremonial pen be passed to one of his senior aides, whose past legal work quickly became the focus of controversy.

The ceremony was intended to establish September 11 as an annual citywide Day of Remembrance and Service while also updating the city’s continuity planning.

Video and reporting from the event showed Mamdani handing the pen to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and quietly asking her to pass it along.

Tisch then handed the ceremonial pen to Mamdani’s chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem, a longtime attorney who previously represented Guantánamo Bay detainee Ahmed al-Darbi.

Al-Darbi pleaded guilty before a military commission to terrorism-related charges stemming from the 2002 bombing of the French oil tanker MV Limburg off Yemen.