Monday, February 23, 2026

Mamdani Changes Story About Hijab-Wearing ‘Aunt’ Who Stopped Riding Subway After 9/11.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Zohran Mamdani, the Democrats’ socialist candidate for New York City mayor, has admitted he does not have an “aunt” who stopped riding the subway after 9/11, as he previously claimed. He now claims he was referring to a distant cousin of his father, who is now dead.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Zohran Mamdani, the Mamdani family, relatives of 9/11 victims, and Vice President J.D. Vance.

📍WHEN & WHERE: New York City, October 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I find what [Mamdani] had to say completely insulting to all of the people that suffered a horrible loss that day.” – Terry Strada, widow of a 9/11 victim.

🎯IMPACT: The episode has sparked backlash from 9/11 families and raised further concerns about Mamdani’s honesty and integrity.

IN FULL

Zohran Mamdani, the Ugandan Muslim immigrant selected as the Democrats’ candidate for New York City Mayor, has admitted to fabricating a story about his “aunt” being too scared to ride the subway in her Islamic hijab after the 9/11 attacks. After Internet sleuths discovered that his only living aunt, Masuma Mamdani, lived in Tanzania in 2001 and does not wear a hijab, Mamdani claimed he was actually referring to a distant cousin of his father who is now dead.

During a press conference, Mamdani claimed, “I was speaking about Zehra fuhi, my father’s cousin, who passed away a few years ago.” The term “fuhi” translates to paternal aunt in Urdu and Hindi. Notably, Mamdani’s father, Mahmood Mamdani, despises America, alleging it is “the genesis of… settler-colonialism,” and “the inspiration” for the Nazis and the anti-Jewish Nuremberg Laws, while also showing Adolf Hitler that “genocide was doable.”

Mamdani was already under fire for his tearful story about his “aunt” feeling uncomfortable on the subway after 9/11, given her alleged discomfort’s insignificance next to the mass death of the radical Islamic terror attack’s victims. Terry Strada, whose husband died in the North Tower, criticized the socialist politician’s remarks as “insulting and insensitive,” saying, “To compare an aunt being uncomfortable on the subway to all of these families that were murdered was just very insensitive and shows his true colors.”

Previously, Vice President J.D. Vance had observed that, “According to Zohran, the real victim of 9/11 was his auntie who got some (allegedly) bad looks.”

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Mamdani: My Aunt Was 9/11’s REAL Victim Because She Couldn’t Wear Her Hijab on the Subway.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Democrat New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani held back tears in a speech on “Islamophobia” on Friday, commemorating his aunt, who “did not feel safe in her hijab” on the subway after jihadists murdered 2,977 people.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Zohran Mamdani and rival candidates Andrew Cuomo (I) and  Curtis Sliwa (R).

📍WHEN & WHERE: Statements made on Friday, October 27, 2023, in the Bronx, New York, one day before early voting begins for the November 4 mayoral election.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I want to speak to the memory of my aunt, who stopped taking the subway after September 11th because she did not feel safe in her hijab.” – Zohran Mamdani

🎯IMPACT: The remarks have heightened scrutiny of Mamdani, who follows the extremist Twelver sect of Shia Islam and will become New York City’s first Muslim mayor if elected.

IN FULL

Zohran Mamdani, the far-left, anti-white Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, addressed what he called “racist, baseless” attacks against him on Friday, linking these criticisms to a broader culture of “Islamophobia.” Speaking outside a mosque in the Bronx, he also paid tribute to “the memory” of an aunt of his and suggested she was the real victim of the September 11, 2001, radical Islamic terror attack on the city, as she did not feel comfortable wearing her Islamic headscarf on the subway afterwards.

“I thought that if I behaved well enough or bit my tongue enough in the face of racist, baseless attacks… it would allow me to be more than just my faith,” said Mamdani, who follows the extremist Twelver sect of Shia Islam and believes a 1,200-year-old final prophet is living in hiding somewhere, waiting for a time when he will preach Islam to world.

“I was wrong. No amount of redirection is ever enough,” he said, referring to Republican rival Curtis Sliwa alleging he supports a “global jihad,” and independent rival and former state governor Andrew Cuomo appearing to agree with a radio host who suggested Mamdani would be “cheering” if “another 9/11” happened.

Referring to 9/11, Mamdani, choking back tears, said, “I want to use this moment to speak to the Muslims of New York City; I want to speak to the memory of my aunt who stopped taking the subway after September 11th because she did not feel safe in her hijab.”

The bulk of the 2,977 people murdered by radical Islamic terrorists on 9/11 were killed in New York City, with many observers suggesting that Mamdani’s focus on his aunt’s comparatively minor hardship suggests he is out of touch. A Ugandan immigrant, Mamdani only became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018.

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9/11 Families Hail Court Ruling Likely Allowing Lawsuit Against Saudi Arabia to Proceed.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: A federal judge ruled that a lawsuit alleging Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the 9/11 attacks can proceed, with evidence suggesting Saudi officials supported the hijackers.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Families of 9/11 victims, Judge George Daniels, and Saudi government officials allegedly connected to the attacks.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The ruling was issued two weeks ago by the Southern District of New York, with a press conference held in New York City on Wednesday.

💬KEY QUOTE: “There were at least 13 Saudi government officials connected to the Ministry of Islamic Affairs… funneling support… to the hijackers’ handlers, right down to the hijackers themselves.” – Plaintiff Brett Eagleson

🎯IMPACT: The case is likely headed for trial, potentially exposing Saudi Arabia’s alleged role in the 9/11 attacks.

IN FULL

A group of family members of 9/11 victims is celebrating a federal court ruling that allows their lawsuit, aimed at holding Saudi Arabia accountable for its alleged role in the 2001 terrorist attacks, to proceed. Senior U.S. District Court Judge George Daniels found it is reasonable to infer, as claimed in the lawsuit, that two individuals named in the lawsuit were sent by elements of the Saudi government to the United States in an effort to provide support to the al-Qaeda terrorists plotting the attack.

“Some of the disputed facts cannot be resolved at this stage of the litigation, because weighing the evidence or assessing witnesses’ credibility will need to take place at trial,” Judge Daniels wrote in his 45-page ruling. The federal judge continued: “Nonetheless, the entire body of undisputed facts, and the Court’s preliminary assessment of certain disputed facts, are adequate for the Court to conclude that the exercise of subject matter jurisdiction is appropriate here.”

One of the lead plaintiffs, Brett Eagleson—the son of 9/11 victim Jon Eagleson—called the ruling a “historic, landmark decision” that is based on “indefensible evidence” that the Saudi government played a role in the attack.

“There were at least 13 Saudi government officials connected to the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. They were working and operating in and out of the Saudi consulates and the Saudi embassies,” Eagleson said, continuing: “They were funneling support from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs in Washington, D.C., to their embassies in San Diego, to the hijackers’ handlers, right down to the hijackers themselves.”

“It’s been 24 years of pain and anguish and fighting for our families. What happened to this community, what happened to America that day, was horrific. However, what’s happening currently and what’s been happening for the past 24 years has been an abomination,” he added.

The ruling likely clears the way for the lawsuit to proceed to trial. Saudi Arabia has persistently denied claims of its involvement in 9/11.

Image by Robert J. Fisch.

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UK Judge Wishes 9/11 and 7/7 Terrorist ‘All the Best’ Ahead of His Release.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: A High Court judge in England wished Haroon Aswat, a convicted terrorist linked to the 9/11 attacks on the United States and the 7/7 attacks on the United Kingdom, “all the best” ahead of his release.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Haroon Aswat, Judge Sir Robert Jay, Reform Party leader Nigel Farage.

📍WHEN & WHERE: April 1, 2025, at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I have to wish you all the best and say to you that the way forward is to keep on your medication, listen to the advice you are going to get, and keep out of the sort of things you were doing.” – Sir Robert Jay.

🎯IMPACT: Concerns have been raised over Aswat threatening public safety, with calls for judicial accountability and scrutiny of monitoring loopholes for psychiatric patients.

IN FULL

Haroon Aswat, a jihadist who has admitted to playing a role in the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States and the 7/7 terrorist attacks on the United Kingdom, is about to be let loose among the British public. In a hearing at London’s Royal Courts of Justice in April, a transcript of which was only recently obtained by the press, High Court judge Sir Robert Jay shockingly wished Aswat “all the best.”

Aswat’s connection to the 7/7 bombings in 2005—which saw suicide bombers target three subway trains and a double-decker bus, killing over 50 and injuring close to 800—was uncovered via phone records, while his connection to 9/11 was discovered in documents belonging to the attack’s lead planner, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, in a Pakistani safehouse. He also attempted to set up a jihadist training camp in Oregon, having previously attended one in Afghanistan, in collaboration with the notorious hook-handed jihadist Abu Hamza.

Extradited to the United States to face U.S. charges in 2014, after the European Court of Human Rights initially blocked the transfer, he entered a guilty plea, but was returned to the United Kingdom in 2022. He is currently detained at Bethlem Royal Hospital in South London, but is now poised for release, with court documents indicating that he intends to stay with relatives in Batley, West Yorkshire. He will not even be subjected to an ankle monitor because of a loophole related to convicts with psychiatric issues.

The Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command has voiced “grave concerns” over his impending freedom, with a senior detective noting he has “spoken positively of his time with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and expressed aspirations to reconnect with them.”

However, Judge Sir Robert Jay appears for more relaxed about the terrorist being at large in society again, saying at the April hearing, “I have to wish you all the best and say to you that the way forward is to keep on your medication, listen to the advice you are going to get, and keep out of the sort of things you were doing.”

Reform Party leader Nigel Farage has called for the judge’s dismissal, arguing, “The public demands tougher justice than this by far. Aswat should be in a high-security jail until he dies and Mr Justice Jay should be sacked.”

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Court REJECTS Plea Deal for 9/11 Mastermind, Two Accomplices.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., overturned a plea deal for 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants, halting efforts to conclude the long-running legal case.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, two co-defendants, former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The decision was issued Friday by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The families and the American public deserve the opportunity to see military commission trials carried out,” wrote Judges Patricia Millett and Neomi Rao in the majority opinion.

🎯IMPACT: The ruling delays the sentencing and keeps the death penalty as a possible outcome for the three terrorists.

IN FULL

A U.S. federal appeals court has upheld former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s decision to reject the plea agreements that would have barred 9/11 terror mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) and two co-defendants from being sentenced to capital punishment in exchange for the three pleading guilty to their crimes. The plea deals were initially negotiated between the former Biden government’s military prosecutors and defense attorneys for the three terrorists in August 2024.

However, after public backlash—including from family members of the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks—then-Secretary Austin moved to withdraw the plea agreements. The move was subsequently challenged by KSM and his co-defendants, with a military appeals court this past January determining that Austin could not overturn plea agreements for detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

The 2-1 decision by the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., effectively reinstates the former Secretary of Defense’s decision, putting the potential for the death penalty back on the table for KSM and his associates. Austin argued that only the Secretary of Defense could decide whether to remove the death penalty from consideration.

Judges Patricia Millett and Neomi Rao, writing for the majority, stated that Austin acted within his legal authority and explained his decision adequately. The court noted, “The families and the American public deserve the opportunity to see military commission trials carried out.” Additionally, the court found that since the plea agreement had not been fulfilled, Austin had the authority to withdraw from it.

Meanwhile, Judge Robert L. Wilkins dissented, calling the majority’s decision “stunning.” He argued that the government failed to meet the legal standard required for overturning the plea deal, stating, “It is impossible for me to conclude that the government has shown it is clearly and indisputably entitled to relief.”

Image by Robert J. Fisch.

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Biden-Harris Government Gifts Plea Deal to 9/11 Mastermind, Death Penalty Off the Table.

The Joe Biden-Kamala Harris government has reached a plea deal agreement with alleged September 11, 2001, terrorist attack mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) and several other accused plotters held at Guantanamo Bay. Under the agreement, none of the accused plotters, including KSM, will face the death penalty for perpetrating the deadliest terrorist attack in American history.

“The Convening Authority for Military Commissions has entered into pretrial agreements with Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘Attash, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, three of the co-accused in the 9/11 case,” an Office of Military Commissions (OMC) spokesman stated on Wednesday.

According to family members of 9/11 victims, the OMC has informed them the terrorists will not face the death penalty.

KSM and the other 9/11 plotters, held at the special U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, face charges of providing training, financial support, and other assistance to the al-Qaeda terrorists who perpetrated the attack.

Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives when al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four U.S. airliners and flew two of them into the World Trade Center Buildings in New York City. A third plane flew into the Pentagon, which houses the U.S. Department of Defense in Washington, D.C.

A fourth plane crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers overcame the hijackers. It is believed that they intended to fly it into the U.S. Capitol building.

Image by Robert J. Fisch.

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The Joe Biden-Kamala Harris government has reached a plea deal agreement with alleged September 11, 2001, terrorist attack mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) and several other accused plotters held at Guantanamo Bay. Under the agreement, none of the accused plotters, including KSM, will face the death penalty for perpetrating the deadliest terrorist attack in American history. show more
9/11

Advanced DNA Analysis Identifies 9/11 Victim’s Remains Nearly 23 Years Later.

The remains of 9/11 victim John Ballantine Niven have been positively identified, the NYC medical examiner’s office announced on Thursday. Niven, 44, was an executive at Aon Risk Services on the 105th floor of Tower Two of the World Trade Center. He is the 1,650th victim of the attacks to be identified.

Niven’s widow, Ellen, expressed her gratitude for the “extraordinary efforts” of city officials. “It’s a real tribute to the City of New York and the teams working behind the scenes all these years to honor that mantra ‘Never Forget.’ My son and I are so appreciative of this tremendous endeavor,” she wrote in an email.

“While the pain from the enormous losses on September 11th never leaves us, the possibility of new identifications can offer solace to the families of victims,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams in an official statement. “I’m grateful for the ongoing work from the Office of Chief Medical Examiner that honors the memory of John Ballantine Niven and all those we lost.”

Niven was one of 2,753 people killed on September 11, 2001, when terrorists hijacked two planes and crashed them into the two towers at the World Trade Center.

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The remains of 9/11 victim John Ballantine Niven have been positively identified, the NYC medical examiner’s office announced on Thursday. Niven, 44, was an executive at Aon Risk Services on the 105th floor of Tower Two of the World Trade Center. He is the 1,650th victim of the attacks to be identified. show more

Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
The National Pulse is always profoundly honored to help raise money for Tunnel to Towers (T2T) each year, via the 5km run in Manhattan, New York
The National Pulse is always profoundly honored to help raise money for Tunnel to Towers (T2T) each year, via the 5km run in Manhattan, New York show more
for exclusive members-only insights

1 in 10 Dems, 1 in 5 Young Americans Have Positive View of Bin Laden.

Gen Z appears to be warming to the late Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, with a new poll finding that 20 percent of those aged between 18 and 29 had a ‘positive’ or ‘somewhat positive’ view of the jihadi boss. The 9/11 terror attacks, orchestrated by bin Laden, killed 2,977 victims in New York City, Northern Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Thousands more were injured.

In addition to the disconcerting level of acceptance among Gen Z, bin Laden also enjoys a ‘positive’ or ‘somewhat positive’ view among one in 10 Democrats – raising concerns that some elements of the Democrat base have been radicalized. The data is especially alarming given recent pro-Hamas demonstrations and incidents of anti-Semitism in the United States following the Palestinian terror group’s October 7th attack on Israel. Some demonstrators have focused their anger on national Democrat politicians who they view as being too accommodating to Israeli military action against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Last month The National Pulse reported Gen Z users of the Chinese-owned social media app, TikTok, were posting videos defending and approving of Osama bin Laden’s ‘Letter to America’. Thousands of TikTok users suggested the deceased al-Qaeda leader’s criticisms of the West were justified and urged others others to read the terrorist screed.

In the letter, the Saudi-born sheikh laid out a number of grievances against the United States, including the way Jews allegedly “control [its] policies, media and economy” and the “Satanic American Invention” of the AIDS virus. Bin Laden’s letter is best described as an Islamic supremacist tract which intentionally muddles anti-colonial and non-interventionist sentiment with pro-Sharia invocations.

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Gen Z appears to be warming to the late Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, with a new poll finding that 20 percent of those aged between 18 and 29 had a 'positive' or 'somewhat positive' view of the jihadi boss. The 9/11 terror attacks, orchestrated by bin Laden, killed 2,977 victims in New York City, Northern Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Thousands more were injured. show more

WATCH: Bin Laden’s Letter to America Goes Viral on TikTok, With Gen Zers Apparently Approving Of It.

Thousands of videos are being shared on the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) TikTok app, showing young American users lauding Osama bin Laden’s infamous ‘Letter to America’, suggesting the al-Qaeda leader was right about the West, while encouraging others to read the screed.

As of the time of publication, TikTok videos with the hashtag #LetterToAmerica have been viewed well over seven million times, with most of the videos expressing surprise, feigned or otherwise, at how much they agree with the deceased terrorist, and urging people to read it.

In the letter, the Saudi-born sheikh laid out a number of grievances against the United States, including the way Jews allegedly “control [its] policies, media and economy” and the “Satanic American Invention” of the AIDS virus.

Bin Laden’s letter, published in full in the Editor’s Notes below, is an Islamic supremacist tract which intentionally muddles anti-colonial and non-interventionist sentiment with pro-Sharia invocations.

The Chinese app has driven so much interest in the letter that the Guardian website felt compelled to remove it 20 years after publication.

WATCH:

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Thousands of videos are being shared on the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) TikTok app, showing young American users lauding Osama bin Laden's infamous 'Letter to America', suggesting the al-Qaeda leader was right about the West, while encouraging others to read the screed. show more

Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
The full “Letter to America” by Osama Bin Laden can be read, below
The full “Letter to America” by Osama Bin Laden can be read, below show more
for exclusive members-only insights
biden 9/11

WATCH: Biden Lies About Being at Ground Zero After 9/11. He Was Actually In D.C.

Joe Biden – the first sitting President to refuse to attend the official 9/11 commemorations in Manhattan – has also now brazenly lied about being at Ground Zero the day after the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11th 2001, adding to a growing pile of deceptions the Democrat President has been caught peddling over recent weeks.

“I join you on this solemn day to renew our sacred vow: never forget,” Biden said on the anniversary of the attack on Monday. “Never forget. We never forget… Ground Zero in New York – I remember standing there the next day, and looking at the building,” he added.

“Biden was not at Ground Zero the day after 9/11. He actually went to Ground Zero nine days after the attacks,” noted CNN, describing the Democrat’s story as “another false claim about his own past”.

In reality, the only contemporaneous figures at Ground Zero the day after the attacks were the two men being persecuted by Biden’s Department of Justice: Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and then New York businessman Donald Trump.

Other Biden lies included claims to have visited a Pittsburgh synagogue where a mass shooting took place, to have visited Afghanistan and Iraq as President, and to have been arrested at a civil rights protest. The President of the United States also repeatedly and falsely claims that his son Beau was killed in Iraq. In truth, Beau Biden died of cancer at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland.

Biden was equally prone to lying as a younger man, with his first bid for the presidency in the 1980s unraveling when he claimed he was an academic high achiever, earning a full scholarship and three degrees, and being named outstanding political science student at the University of Delaware.

These claims were all exposed as fabrications, with Biden actually studying on a half-scholarship and graduating 76th out of a class of 85 at law school and 506th out of a class of 688 at the University of Delaware, and earning only one undergraduate degree.

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Joe Biden – the first sitting President to refuse to attend the official 9/11 commemorations in Manhattan – has also now brazenly lied about being at Ground Zero the day after the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11th 2001, adding to a growing pile of deceptions the Democrat President has been caught peddling over recent weeks. show more