As socialist New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani gains momentum in the polls, controversy is mounting over his past ties to radical anti-Israel activism — including support for a convicted terrorist responsible for the murder of two college students in a 1969 supermarket bombing in Jerusalem. During his time at Bowdoin College, Mamdani co-founded the campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a group that in 2014 publicly called for “justice” for Rasmieh Yousef Odeh — a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) operative convicted in two terrorist bombings. Odeh, deported from the U.S. in 2017 for immigration fraud, was sentenced to life in Israel but released in a prisoner exchange before entering the U.S. on a visa she obtained through deception. A Facebook account linked to Mamdani “liked” the SJP post praising Odeh, which sparked outrage from critics who say his political rise is tainted by radical affiliations. Independent mayoral candidate Jim Walden blasted Mamdani’s group for “radical extremism and antisemitism,” pointing to a pattern of support for extremists — including Mamdani’s past praise for Hamas-linked figures and a tweet defending al-Qaeda propagandist Anwar al-Awlaki. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)