Shock Photo Of NYC Mayoral Candidate Mamdani Surfaces

Left-wing New York City mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani is facing intense scrutiny after appearing alongside a notorious Islamic cleric once linked to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and known for his anti-American and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.

Mamdani — a self-described socialist and a leading contender for the Democratic nomination — was photographed grinning beside Imam Siraj Wahhaj at the latter’s Bedford-Stuyvesant mosque, Masjid At-Taqwa.

The photo, posted on Mamdani’s X account just one day after the first mayoral debate, also included Councilman Yusef Salaam (D-Manhattan), one of the exonerated “Central Park Five.”

“Today at Masjid At-Taqwa, I had the pleasure of meeting with Imam Siraj Wahhaj, one of the nation’s foremost Muslim leaders and a pillar of the Bed-Stuy community for nearly half a century. I was also joined by CM @dr_yusefsalaam of Harlem. A beautiful Jummah,” Mamdani wrote.

What Mamdani failed to mention is that Wahhaj, 75, has a long and controversial history. Federal prosecutors once named him an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing that killed six people. Wahhaj has publicly defended those convicted in the attack — even labeling the FBI and CIA as “the real terrorists.”

While Wahhaj has denied direct involvement in terrorism, his record of extremist statements is well-documented. He testified in defense of Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, the “blind sheikh” and spiritual leader of a violent Islamist movement, calling him a “respected scholar.”

A foreign intelligence report obtained by the New York Post detailed Wahhaj’s early 2000s sermon in which he urged followers to raise an “army of 10,000 men” for what he described as a “nonviolent jihad” across New York City.

“I pray one day Allah will bless us to raise an army, and I’m serious about this,” Wahhaj said. “Don’t pick up a gun, no. Just march. March through the city of New York. Let them hear your voice… until the whole city can’t sleep.”

The same assessment cited by The Post concluded that Mamdani’s political network and campaign alliances “pose a direct national security threat to New York City and the United States,” noting his willingness to associate with figures known for extremist sympathies.

Beyond his radical political ties, Wahhaj has also expressed hostile views toward the LGBTQ community, describing homosexuality as “a disease of this society.”

“And you know, brothers and sisters, you know what the punishment is, if a man is found with another man?” Wahhaj once said during a recorded sermon. “The Prophet Mohammad said the one who does it and the one to whom it is done to, kill them both.”

While Wahhaj later urged followers not to engage in violence, he suggested they “invite [gay individuals] to Islam and make them feel comfortable,” according to the report.

Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa blasted Mamdani’s appearance with Wahhaj, calling it “disqualifying.”

“The fact that Mamdani stands with this imam is disqualifying,” Sliwa said. “New York needs a mayor who protects New Yorkers from terrorism, not embraces terrorists.”

Mamdani has not responded to media inquiries regarding his appearance with Wahhaj or whether he stands by his remarks about the imam.