Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg met with a number of Islamic leaders from around the city to discuss the Fort Hood shooting and the Muslim community. It turns out that one of the invitees was Brooklyn imam Siraj Wahhaj—who, the Daily News reports, "was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the [1993] World Trade Center bombing - meaning he was never charged but the feds believe he had some connection." An aide seemed to admit it was a mistake, saying, "If we were aware of his full background, it would have been done differently."
According to the Post, "a Channel 2 reporter asked the mayor if he was uncomfortable about Wahhaj's presence. 'I don't know. He's not here,' the mayor responded. When told that Wahhaj was in fact in the meeting, Bloomberg reversed course. 'That one. Yes. We have to talk to everybody,' he said. 'That's what dialogue is all about. That's how you prevent tragedies.'" A mayoral spokesman said that aides, not the mayor, made the invites, "He was invited by staff because he leads a large mosque in Brooklyn. The mayor had never met him and wasn't aware of his background."
However, Wahhaj was confident that Bloomberg knew him, "If the mayor had any discomfort he would not have invited me. Of course, he knew who I was. The mayor is very smart."
