Mamdani taps controversial lawyer who defended al Qaeda terrorist for top role: 'Powerful advocate'
New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced on Tuesday that he is appointing controversial lawyer Ramzi Kassem, who defended al-Qaeda terrorist Ahmed al-Darbi in court, to a top role.
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Socialist New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced on Tuesday that he is appointing controversial lawyer Ramzi Kassem, who defended al Qaeda terrorist Ahmed al-Darbi in court, as the city’s top attorney.
Mamdani, who will take office on Jan. 1, announced he was appointing Kassem as New York City’s chief counsel, the top legal role in the city. He also shared that he is appointing Steven Banks a self-proclaimed "social justice attorney" as corporation counsel and Helen Arteaga as deputy mayor for health and human services.
Kassem’s record includes serving as a senior policy advisor for immigration on the White House Domestic Policy Council under former President Joe Biden.
Kassem served as lead counsel in al-Darbi’s defense. In 2014, al-Darbi pled guilty before a U.S. military commission to conspiracy in connection with an al Qaeda terrorist plot to bomb the French oil tanker MV Limburg off the coast of Yemen. One civilian was killed in the attack and several others were injured. He was convicted of the crime in 2017 and was transferred by the Trump administration in 2018 to Saudi Arabia's custody.
FLASHBACK: INSIDE THE POLITICAL MOVEMENT THAT PUT A SOCIALIST IN CHARGE OF NEW YORK CITY
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (right) announced he was appointing attorney Ramzi Kassem chief counsel on Tuesday. (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg; Hiroko Masuike/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
"While it may not make him whole, my hope is that repatriation at least marks the end of injustice for Ahmed," Kassem said at the time of the transfer, adding he had "16 long and painful years in captivity."
In 2025, Kassem represented anti-Israel activist and Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil who was arrested by ICE for his alleged role in leading antisemitic demonstrations on campus. Khalil has since been released, though his legal case is ongoing.
Announcing the appointment, Mamdani said, "I will turn to Ramzi for his remarkable experience and his commitment to defending those too often abandoned by our legal system."
