WASHINGTON (TNND) — As the race for New York City’s mayor intensifies, Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani is facing scrutiny over past social media posts. The 33-year-old Democratic Socialist, who recently won the Democratic primary in a surprising upset against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, is now under fire for comments made in 2015.

Critics have highlighted Mamdani’s apparent defense of Yemeni American al-Qaida leader Anwar al-Awlaki and his criticism of the FBI’s surveillance of al-Awlaki following the 9/11 attacks. At the time, al-Awlaki was an imam at a Northern Virginia mosque attended by two of the 9/11 hijackers. After 9/11, al-Awlaki left the U.S. and settled in Yemen, where he became an al-Qaida leader and gained attention for posting radical videos encouraging the killing of Americans.

Former President Barack Obama ordered the strike that killed al-Awlaki in 2011. Mamdani’s social media posts suggested that the FBI’s surveillance is what “eventually led him to #alqaeda.”

Retired FDNY Lt. Jim McCaffrey, who lost a brother-in-law in the Twin Tower collapse, told the New York Post that Mamdani’s posts are “very offensive to 9/11 victims and their families.” Former New York Rep. Peter King reportedly said, “Mamdani is making excuses and rationalizing al-Awlaki joining al Qaeda…He’s trying to blame the US for him becoming a terrorist.”

Mamdani has made controversial statements on a number of issues, yet his campaign has found success focusing on addressing the rising cost-of-living issues in New York City. Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., said, “He tapped into the same thing that Donald Trump tapped into which is that people are concerned the economy is not working for them.”

A recent survey by Gotham Polling and Analytics shows Mamdani leading the mayoral race with 41% support. Cuomo, running as an independent, follows with 27%, while current Mayor Eric Adams, also an independent, is polling at 16%. Republican Curtis Sliwa has just under 10%.

Both Adams and Cuomo have urged each other to drop out, hoping to consolidate support against Mamdani, but neither has relented.