Don Arias Denounces 2 Democratic Nominees Over 9/11-Linked Extremism Claims

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 27

Don Arias, a former NYC firefighter whose brother died on 9/11, said recent Democratic primary wins by Adam Hamawy in New Jersey and Aber Kawas in New York were "beyond the pale."
Hamawy won New Jersey's 12th District primary on June 2, and Arias pointed to Hamawy's early-1990s ties to Omar Abdel-Rahman — the "Blind Sheikh" behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing — and his defense testimony.
Arias also cited Hamawy's 1994 Bosnia work with Benevolence International Foundation, which the U.S. later designated a terrorism financier, saying voters were not properly informed about that record.
Kawas, now the Democratic nominee for New York State Senate District 12 after last week's primary, drew Arias's condemnation over 2017 podcast remarks that framed 9/11 within broader systems of racism, capitalism and Islamophobia.
The comments reflect a wider backlash from some 9/11 families and veterans as progressive and Muslim candidates gain ground in Democratic primaries, though Hamawy did not respond and Kawas referred questions to her X account.