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A pro-Palestinian plastic surgeon in New Jersey who testified as a witness in a major terrorism case on behalf of a convicted Islamic cleric won election in the New Jersey primary.
Adam Hisham Hamawy, a former Army combat medic born in Egypt, won a 12-way Democratic primary contest for a solidly blue House seat, according to The Associated Press.
Hamawy was considered to be the frontrunner to succeed retiring Trenton-area Rep. Bonnie Watson-Coleman, D-N.J., and garnered support from the Democratic Party's far-left flank.
He attempted to weather mounting scrutiny for his ties as a young adult to Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, who was convicted of inciting the 1993 World Trade Center bombing that killed six people and injured thousands. The infamous "Blind Sheikh" was also an influential figure among al Qaeda terrorists.
Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman during a press conference in Jersey City, N.J. (Najlah Feanny/Getty Images)
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Hamawy testified as a witness for the defense and has faced lingering questions for his role in the convicted sheikh's 1996 trial.
Fox News contributor Andrew McCarthy, the chief prosecutor in Abdel Rahman’s criminal trial, said Hamawy’s testimony ultimately helped the government’s case despite it being offered to undermine the prosecution’s case.
"As was uniformly the case with witnesses presented in the extensive defense case, his testimony, once cross-examination was over, did more to bolster the prosecution’s proof of a jihadist terrorism conspiracy against the United States than to help the accused," McCarthy said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
His campaign told Fox News Digital that a past affiliation with Abdel Rahman, who was also convicted of conspiring to assassinate Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, amounts to "guilt-by-association" shaming. He has denied any wrongdoing and was never criminally charged.
The political newcomer also faced questions over his ties to a now-shuttered al Qaeda-linked front group in Eastern Europe, which he briefly volunteered for in 1994, Jewish Insider first reported.
Hamawy was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; and controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, among other leading progressives. American Priorities, a nascent pro-Palestinian super PAC, also poured money into the race to put him over the top.
Plastic surgeon-turned-House candidate Adam Hisham Hamawy is interviewed in New York on April 24, 2024, about his intention to go on a humanitarian mission to Hamas-led Gaza. (slam Dogru/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The district, spanning liberal Mercer County up through Somerville to the Plainfields, is considered a safe Democratic seat in a blue-trending state that has moved away from the relatively close margins President Donald Trump received in his 2024 race.
With a crowded field, few have coalesced around an alternative to Hamawy, while one opponent — Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp — did call out the surgeon as a "radical extremist."
Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., told Jewish Insider he had "deep concerns" about Hamawy’s "associations with terrorist organizations and leaders who have attacked America."
Activist Sue Altman, who lost to adjacent-district Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in 2024, is another of the dozen running against Hamawy.
She recently won support from influential figures among the party’s establishment, including former Gov. Jon S. Corzine, ex-Sen. Robert "The Torch" Torricelli and ex-Sen. Bill Bradley.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., has called on Democratic House candidate Adam Hamawy to clarify his past ties to terrorist-linked organizations and leaders. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., notably credited Hamawy with saving her life on an overseas deployment to the Middle East in 2004, and he, in turn, credited her with helping secure his evacuation in 2024 after his medical mission was reportedly trapped by a closed border crossing near Khan Younis, Gaza.
During that humanitarian trip, Hamawy said he had "never … witnessed the level of atrocities and targeting of my medical colleagues," in an apparent reference to the Israeli government.
Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.
Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.
Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].
Source: Fox News - Politics
