Abdul El-Sayed Deletes Controversial Tweet on 9/11 Amid Pressure to Disavow Hasan Piker

WASHINGTON — Michigan Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed deleted an old tweet referencing the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which has drawn scrutiny as he faces pressure from fellow Democrats to disavow streamer Hasan Piker. In the deleted tweet, El-Sayed expressed mourning for the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the attacks and mentioned his intention to grieve for lives he attributed to the wars that followed. "Today, I mourn the 3K lives, 6K injuries, & infrastructural devastation in NYC, perpetrated ignorantly in the name of my faith," El-Sayed wrote. He added, "Tomorrow, I’ll mourn ~1M lives, millions of injuries, & infrastructural devastation in 3 countries, perpetrated ignorantly in the name of my country," referring to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as conflicts in Pakistan. The tweet was first reported by the Washington Free Beacon and has gained renewed attention as the 25th anniversary of the attacks approaches. A copy of the deleted tweet is available on the Wayback Machine. El-Sayed's campaign stated, "Abdul has always unequivocally condemned terrorism and the September 11 attacks," and criticized claims made by opponents as misrepresentations. The U.S. is set to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks next week. El-Sayed has faced criticism for his association with Piker, who has made controversial statements regarding the attacks and U.S. foreign policy. Several Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, have publicly criticized Piker and called for El-Sayed to disavow him. El-Sayed's primary rival, Rep. Haley Stevens, and other Democratic figures have also urged him to distance himself from Piker. El-Sayed has attempted to shift the focus of his campaign to his policies rather than his associations, stating, "I am not interested in a conversation about a social media person in California."