Mayor’s 9/11 Move Triggers Fury

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed a 9/11 remembrance order this week, then handed the ceremonial pen to a lawyer who once defended a man tied to al-Qaeda.

Story Snapshot

Mamdani signed two executive orders on September 5, 2026, marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
He passed the signing pen to chief counsel Ramzi Kassem, who once represented Guantanamo detainee Ahmed al-Darbi.
Al-Darbi pleaded guilty to terrorism-related war crimes and is the brother-in-law of a 9/11 hijacker.
City Hall says Kassem was honored because his office drafted the orders, not for any symbolic reason.
The moment has drawn sharp criticism from 9/11 families, police groups, and national media figures.

What Happened At City Hall

Mamdani signed two executive orders at City Hall on September 5, 2026. One created an annual day of remembrance and service for September 11. The other aimed to boost emergency preparedness. After signing, Mamdani handed the pen to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and asked her to pass it along. She gave it to his chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem.

Kassem arrived late to the event and appeared to smile as he took the pen, according to one report. The gesture happened just days before the 25th anniversary of the attacks, a milestone that carries deep weight for families who lost loved ones and for first responders who still deal with the health effects of that day.

Who Is Ramzi Kassem

Kassem is a longtime civil rights lawyer now serving as Mamdani’s top legal aide. Years ago, he represented Ahmed al-Darbi, a Guantanamo Bay detainee. Al-Darbi later pleaded guilty to helping plan and carry out a 2002 bombing of a French oil tanker off Yemen. Court records also show al-Darbi is the brother-in-law of one of the men who hijacked the plane that hit the Pentagon on 9/11.

Al-Darbi served his sentence and was transferred to Saudi Arabia in 2015, the first prisoner moved out of Guantanamo under President Trump’s first term. Kassem’s defense work for al-Darbi predates his City Hall job by more than a decade. Reports first flagged his hiring as controversial when Mamdani named him chief counsel late last year.

City Hall’s Explanation

Mamdani’s office pushed back hard on the outrage. A spokesperson told reporters Kassem was present because he and his legal team wrote both executive orders as part of his normal job duties. That explanation lines up with how City Hall usually works: lawyers draft orders, the mayor signs them, and staff often get the pen as a keepsake.

Kassem himself has said publicly that every order Mamdani has signed, more than 60 so far, passed through his office first. Legal experts note that a lawyer defending an unpopular client does not mean the lawyer agrees with that client’s actions. The right to counsel is a basic part of the American justice system, guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment.

Backlash From Families And Officials

Despite that explanation, the reaction has been swift and angry. Retired police officers publicly called on Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul to skip the 9/11 memorial ceremony entirely. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Mamdani should stay away from the event altogether, according to widely shared social media posts. Critics say the pen handoff, whatever the intent, showed poor judgment so close to a solemn anniversary.

NEW YORK | MAMDANI FACES BACKLASH OVER 9/11 CEREMONY PEN HANDOFF

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing renewed criticism after a ceremonial pen used to sign his 9/11 executive orders was handed to his chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem.

Mamdani signed an executive order… pic.twitter.com/gBxnel4obk

— CSB News USA (@csbnewsus) September 8, 2026

Some commentators argue the anger reflects a broader pattern where a real but narrow fact, in this case a past legal defense, gets stretched into a much bigger accusation than the facts support. Others say symbolism matters most on a day meant to honor nearly 3,000 people who died, and that any misstep near that memory deserves scrutiny. Both views tap into a public that already distrusts leaders they see as tone-deaf or disconnected from ordinary Americans’ grief and anger.