{"id":2608933,"date":"2026-06-01T07:36:53","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T11:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democratic-house-front-runner-faces-scrutiny-over-past-terrorist-association\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T07:40:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T11:40:57","slug":"democratic-house-front-runner-faces-scrutiny-over-past-terrorist-association","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democratic-house-front-runner-faces-scrutiny-over-past-terrorist-association\/","title":{"rendered":"Democratic House front-runner faces scrutiny over past terrorist association"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocratic-house-front-runner-faces-scrutiny-over-past-terrorist-association%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2608933&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Dr. Adam Hamawy-a progressive candidate endorsed by prominent Democrats-leads Democratic primary polling in New Jersey\u2019s 12th District, but his campaign has faced major scrutiny over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-new-york-city-councilwoman-calls-for-top-mayoral-candidate-to-be-deported\/\" title=\"Republican New York City councilwoman calls for top mayoral candidate to be deported\">alleged past ties<\/a> to terrorism-linked figures. Media have resurfaced claims that Hamawy maintained close connections, decades ago, with Omar Abdel-Rahman (\u201cthe Blind Sheikh\u201d), a leader convicted in connection with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. According to Hamawy\u2019s testimony, their relationship included repeated personal contact adn activities such as translation help, and he was cited as acknowledging Abdel-Rahman warmly during the trial. Hamawy\u2019s campaign denies any wrongdoing and says there was no further contact after Abdel-Rahman\u2019s arrest, attributing the relationship to the small local Muslim community at the time, while emphasizing Hamawy\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-senate-candidate-kathy-barnette-repeatedly-misrepresented-military-service-records-show\/\" title=\"GOP Senate Candidate Kathy Barnette Repeatedly Misrepresented ..., Records Show\">military service record<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The article also discusses Hamawy\u2019s brief time in Bosnia during the civil war, where prosecutors pressed him about what he was doing and whether he worked with organizations. Hamawy saeid he was engaged in humanitarian assistance. The nonprofits involved in his account-specifically the Benevolence International Foundation-have been described by U.S. authorities as tied to terrorism financing, and the 9\/11 Commission Report characterizes related networks as covertly supporting terrorist activity. Hamawy\u2019s campaign counters that his involvement followed a UN-approved route suggested by Bosnian mission contacts.<\/p>\n<p>In the crowded Democratic field to replace retiring Rep.Bonnie Watson Coleman, some candidates view these associations as serious concerns, while others argue that Hamawy\u2019s service and the time elapsed should not overshadow present priorities. The winner of the Democratic primary is described as likely to win the general election in the heavily Democratic district.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A progressive darling leading in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democratic-party\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"288\">Democratic<\/a> primary polls in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-jersey\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1065\">New Jersey<\/a>\u2018s 12th District has drawn scrutiny for his connections to a terrorist mastermind and alleged work with an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/al-qaeda\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1194\">al Qaeda<\/a> front organization in Bosnia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr. Adam Hamawy, who earned national fame for his work in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war, has earned endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) for his progressive congressional campaign. His congressional run has hit its first major roadblock, after media outlets resurfaced revelations about his decades-old deep connections to an infamous terrorist mastermind implicated in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4588892\/jon-ossoff-trump-stephen-miller-small-men-atlanta\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Jon Ossoff calls Trump and Stephen Miller \u2018small men\u2019 at Atlanta rally<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4588822\/cory-booker-concerns-platner-scandal\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Sen. Cory Booker voices \u2018concerns\u2019 with Platner after latest scandal<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4588750\/chris-murphy-graham-platner-texts\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Sen. Chris Murphy says Platner \u2018made mistakes\u2019 after explicit texts revealed<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<h2 id=\"h-hamawy-and-the-blind-sheikh\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hamawy and the \u201cBlind Sheikh\u201d<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hamawy <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.investigativeproject.org\/case_docs\/us-v-rahman-et-al\/3058\/1993-wtc-trial-transcript-6-of-8.pdf\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.investigativeproject.org\/case_docs\/us-v-rahman-et-al\/3058\/1993-wtc-trial-transcript-6-of-8.pdf\">testified<\/a> that he met Omar Abdel-Rahman, better known as the \u201cBlind Sheikh,\u201d in 1991. Abdel-Rahman was the founder and spiritual leader of Al-Jama\u2019a al-Islamiyya, an Islamist terrorist group involved in political violence against the Egyptian government and the United States. He was arrested in 1993 and convicted of seditious conspiracy and terrorism, earning him a life sentence in solitary confinement.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hamawy formed a close relationship with the Islamic radical shortly after their meeting, even though Abdel-Rahman had already, by 1991, been charged with providing spiritual support for the assassination of former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. In the court transcript for Abdel-Rahman\u2019s trial for the 1993 bombing, Hamawy was quoted as warmly greeting Abdel-Rahman with \u201casalamu alaikum\u201d in court, getting a reciprocal greeting in response.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The terrorist leader\u2019s defense team called Hamawy as a witness to counter a federal informant\u2019s testimony that Abdel-Rahman encouraged him to kill Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. During his testimony, Hamawy revealed that their relationship included home visits, the provision of translation help, and a 13-hour car ride to Detroit to attend an Islamist conference containing radical rhetoric.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Responding to questions from the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, a Hamawy campaign spokesperson said their contact and relationship were due to the small size of New Jersey\u2019s Muslim community at the time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt the time, the man in question was one of very few religious figures in what was then a very small Muslim community in New Jersey \u2014 he saw him speak in religious settings in his early 20s,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cDr. Hamawy condemns that man\u2019s violent rhetoric and actions, and all violence, hatred, and terrorism \u2014 and he will always. Dr. Hamawy had no contact with this person after they were arrested.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The campaign also stressed Hamawy\u2019s distinguished military service record, which included saving the life of Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL).<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe was in the military at the time the events litigated in the trial took place, during the trial, and after the trial,\u201d the Hamawy campaign spokesperson said. \u201cIn the years that followed, Dr. Hamawy was chosen for one of the most sensitive and highest-trust roles for an Army doctor: deployment to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >treat critically injured troops<\/a> in Iraq. His sacrifices for our freedom accurately reflect his character and values then and now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Abdel-Rahman died in U.S. custody in February 2017 at age 78.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-bosnian-intrigue\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bosnian intrigue<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another notable connection touched upon in Hamawy\u2019s testimony was his brief time in Bosnia during its civil war from 1992 to 1995. The sectarian conflict pitted the Catholic Croats, Orthodox Serbs, and Muslim Bosnians against each other. Competing interests drew partisans from around the world, with one of many groups taking up arms being Islamist terrorist groups, including al Qaeda. Bosnia would become a major precursor for many of the international jihadist struggles in the ensuing decades \u2014 one of the preeminent works of jihadist propaganda was a hagiographical collection of accounts of foreign jihadists killed in the war, titled <em>In the Hearts of Green Birds: The Martyrs of Bosnia<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bosnia featured prominently in Abdel-Rahman\u2019s trial, with prosecutors pressing Hamawy on the details of his trip. When pressed on his trip to Bosnia in 1994, he said he went to \u201cbasically help with the humanitarian effort there.\u201d When asked if he was working as part of an organization and what he did there, the defense shut down the line of questioning.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He provided further context in a 1996 interview with the Newark-based <em>Star-Ledger<\/em>, an archived version of which was obtained by <em>Jewish Insider<\/em>. According to the outlet, he discussed his five-week trip to the embattled country with a Chicago-based nonprofit organization called the Benevolence International Foundation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI worked in Sarajevo for 10 days and then the rest in Zenica, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/revealed-democratic-congressional-candidate-reportedly-worked-for-al-qaida-linked-group\/\" title=\"Revealed: Democratic Congressional Candidate Reportedly ...ed for Al-Qaida-Linked Group\">large regional center<\/a> in central Bosnia,\u201d Hamawy told the <em>Star-Ledger<\/em>. \u201cWe went out to hospitals around the area and in the mountains to check what supplies they needed and we tried to deliver them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Benevolence International Foundation was later exposed as a front for al Qaeda and was <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/news\/press-releases\/po3632\">designated<\/a> a financier of terrorism by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2002. The 9\/11 Commission Report <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.govinfo.gov\/content\/pkg\/GPO-911REPORT\/pdf\/GPO-911REPORT.pdf\">described<\/a> the foundation as part of an \u201cimpressive array of offices\u201d that \u201ccovertly provided financial and other support for terrorist activities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hamawy\u2019s campaign countered that his work with the group came at the suggestion of the Bosnian mission on how to assist the Bosnians through a U.N.-approved route.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt must be the final days of the election, because the attacks are getting more desperate than ever. Dr. Adam Hamawy, as a young medical student and member of the US military, volunteered to provide medical assistance to victims of the Bosnian genocide, per the suggestion the Bosnian mission made to him on how to help via a United Nations-approved route,\u201d the campaign said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe idea that this absurd claim could be seriously entertained about the work of a veteran who served our country for twenty years, was awarded the Global War on Terrorism medal for his service in Iraq, and climbed the rubble at Ground Zero searching for survivors on 9\/11 would be laughable if it weren\u2019t so gross and bigoted,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hamawy was never legally charged or accused of wrongdoing over his association with Abdel-Rahman and work in Bosnia.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-opposition-reaction\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Opposition reaction<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hamawy is leading a packed race, with no less than 12 Democratic candidates running to replace Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), 81, who is retiring after six terms in the House. The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reached out to the other notable candidates in the race, two of whom suggested Hamawy\u2019s associations were a real problem.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThese concerning revelations are a distraction from the needs of Central Jerseyans,\u201d former Department of Energy official Jay Vaingankar said. \u201cAs the youngest congressional candidate in the country and someone who recently held a Top Secret security clearance in the Biden White House, I don\u2019t have this kind of baggage. The threats posed by the Trump Administration require Members of Congress who can stay laser-focused on fighting back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shanel Robinson, a military veteran, stressed that she appreciated Hamawy\u2019s military service, saying it \u201cspeaks to his patriotism.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4580515\/isis-on-march-nigeria\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4580515\">ISIS ON THE MARCH IN NIGERIA AFTER YEARS ON DEFENSE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAdam\u2019s relationship with Sheikh Abdel Rahman was thirty years ago, but Adam and I are both asking the people of New Jersey\u2019s 12th Congressional District to select us for positions of authority in the federal government,\u201d she said. \u201cThe voters will judge us on our entire adult lives, the choices we have made, and the people we associate with regardless of whether it was 30 days or 30 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTherefore, the voters deserve to hear directly from Adam about this,\u201d Robinson added. \u201cIn the end, it will be up to the voters to decide.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whoever wins the Democratic primary is almost guaranteed to win the general election in a deep blue seat. Only one Republican has registered to run.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dr. Adam Hamawy leads NJ-12 polling, but faces scrutiny over alleged ties to a terrorist figure and an al Qaeda front in Bosnia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2653,"featured_media":2608934,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP17053730254494.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[40796,32923,34059,36160,41215],"class_list":["post-2608933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-counterterrorism","tag-democratic-party","tag-election-2024","tag-political-controversy","tag-u-s-house"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP17053730254494.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2608933"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608933\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2608937,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608933\/revisions\/2608937"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2608934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2608933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2608933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2608933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}