Mamdani signed executive orders Friday ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, designating the date a citywide day of remembrance and service and strengthening efforts to prevent future terrorist threats.<\/p>\n
After signing the final order, Mamdani handed the pen to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and asked her to pass it to chief counsel Ramzi Kassem. Kassem previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi<\/a>, who pleaded guilty to war-crime charges tied to al Qaeda plots against commercial ships and was the brother-in-law of Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the hijackers aboard American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon, killing 184.<\/p>\n MAMDANI FACES GROWING 9\/11 BACKLASH AS OLD POST RESURFACES AHEAD OF GROUND ZERO CEREMONY: ‘IS THIS REAL?’<\/a><\/p>\n NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch hands a ceremonial pen to Ramzi Kassem, who once represented a convicted al Qaeda member tied to a 9\/11 hijacker. (NYC Office of the Mayor)<\/p>\n The handoff drew criticism on social media, with users arguing on X that Kassem\u2019s role in the ceremony distracted from an event meant to honor those killed in the attacks and the first responders who died trying to save them.<\/p>\n “This is a slap in the face to victims ahead of the 25th anniversary of 9\/11,” wrote<\/a> podcaster Benny Johnson on X.<\/p>\n FLASHBACK: MAMDANI TORCHED FOR RECYCLING 9\/11 TRIBUTES AFTER YEARS OF NEAR-IDENTICAL POSTS<\/a><\/p>\n Ramzi Kassem, Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s chief counsel, previously represented Guant\u00e1namo Bay detainee Ahmed al-Darbi. (Michael M. Santiago\/Getty Image)<\/p>\n “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\u2019re approaching this most serious and solemn day for NYC: 9\/11,” wrote<\/a> former New York state Senate candidate Maria Danzilo.<\/p>\n Another user on X <\/a>called it a “deliberate gesture by Mamdani that undermines 9 \/ 11 yet again with impunity.”<\/p>\n ACCUSED 9\/11 MASTERMIND KHALID SHEIKH MOHAMMED, 3 CO-DEFENDANTS SET FOR 2028 TRIAL<\/a><\/p>\n City Hall told the New York Post that Kassem attended the ceremony because he and his team drafted both executive orders as part of his duties as chief counsel.<\/p>\n That role has drawn scrutiny because Kassem previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi, a Guant\u00e1namo Bay detainee<\/a> who pleaded guilty to war-crime charges tied to al Qaeda plots against commercial ships, including the 2002 bombing of a French oil tanker off Yemen\u2019s coast. Al-Darbi\u2019s sister was married to Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the hijackers aboard the plane that crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.<\/p>\n![\"NYPD](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/mamdani-911-ceremony-pen.png\")
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