Adam Hamawy, an Egypt-born former combat surgeon who once volunteered with a group later tied to Al Qaeda, won Tuesday’s Democratic primary for the New Jersey House seat being vacated by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman.
Hamawy, an Iraq War veteran and outspoken critic of Israel, topped a crowded Democratic field in New Jersey’s deep-blue 12th Congressional District.
His win came with heavy backing from the left flank of the Democratic Party, including “Squad” Reps. Ro Khanna of California, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont also endorsed him.
Hamawy has previously drawn national attention for saving Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s life after a helicopter crash in Iraq, as well as for his volunteer work in the Gaza Strip.
But his past has also come under scrutiny, including a 1994 internship with the Benevolence International Foundation in Bosnia and his yearslong association with Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, the notorious “Blind Sheikh.”
The now-defunct Benevolence International Foundation was described in the 9/11 Commission Report as part of an “impressive array of offices [that] covertly provided financial and other support for terrorist activities” by Osama bin Laden in the 1990s.
Authorities also alleged in a 2003 court filing that Benevolence International was used by the terror group as a front “to establish a base for operations in Europe against Al Qaeda’s true enemy, the United States.”
Jewish Insider first reported on Hamawy’s past work with the foundation.
Hamawy has never been charged with or accused of involvement in Islamic terrorism. His campaign has sharply rejected attacks over his work with the foundation, calling them “desperate,” “absurd” and “bigoted.”
The Democratic candidate’s relationship with Abdel-Rahman has also raised questions.
A Democrat with terror ties linked to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing is on track to become one of New Jersey’s next congressmen.
Adam Hamawy won a crowded Democratic primary in New Jersey’s 12th District and is heavily favored to win the general election in November.
The… pic.twitter.com/0ml7elMNcB
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 3, 2026
Abdel-Rahman was convicted of seditious conspiracy in 1995 after his followers carried out the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Hamawy was called as a defense witness during the trial to dispute a government informant’s claim that Abdel-Rahman urged followers to murder then-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
At trial, Hamawy also testified that comments Abdel-Rahman made about “conquering the land of the infidels” were being taken “out of context” by prosecutors, according to a transcript of the proceedings.
The resurfaced testimony has drawn fire from critics who say voters deserve a full explanation before Hamawy moves closer to Congress.
“I think the voters of New Jersey have a right to know why Dr. Hamawy felt so strongly in defending a violent jihadist leader — the Blind Sheikh — that he repeatedly lied under oath in the 1995 terrorist trial,” said Steven Emerson, founder and executive director of the Investigative Project on Terrorism, a Washington, DC-based think tank that studies extremism. “Dr. Hamawy’s silence until now suggests he has no qualms about his testimony.”
Hamawy’s campaign pushed back by pointing to his long record of service in the U.S. military and distancing him from Abdel-Rahman’s actions.
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“At the time, the man in question was one of very few religious figures in what was then a very small Muslim community in New Jersey … Dr. Hamawy condemns that man’s violent rhetoric and actions, and all violence, hatred, and terrorism — and he will always. Dr. Hamawy had no contact with this person after they were arrested.”
The defense from Hamawy’s team comes as the Democratic nominee is now positioned as the favorite in a district long held by Democrats.
Still, his victory hands Republicans and Israel supporters a fresh line of attack against the party’s left wing, which has already faced mounting criticism over its posture toward Israel, terrorism and the Middle East.
For Hamawy, the primary win marks a major political breakthrough. But it also ensures that his past work, associations and courtroom testimony will follow him into the general election fight.
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