Survivors and relatives of victims of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing expressed alarm over the growing congressional campaign of Democrat Adam Hamawy, citing his past relationship with convicted terrorist cleric Omar Abdel-Rahman, widely known as the “Blind Sheikh.”

Hamawy, a plastic surgeon from Princeton, is considered a leading contender in the Democratic primary to succeed retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman in New Jersey’s heavily Democratic 12th Congressional District. His past association with Abdel-Rahman, who was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing plot, has drawn renewed scrutiny.

The February 1993 bombing killed six people and injured more than 1,000 others. Abdel-Rahman stood trial in 1995 over his involvement in the attack, and Hamawy appeared as a defense witness during the proceedings. On the campaign trail last week, Hamawy reportedly referred to the cleric as a “leader of the community.”

Hamawy has also stated that he never heard Abdel-Rahman advocate violence or terrorism, despite having traveled with him for 13 hours in 1991 to an Islamic conference in Detroit titled “Toward a Global Islamic Economy in Detroit,” where multiple speakers reportedly discussed jihad and infidels.

“I would never vote for Hamawy because of this and again, saying that as a lifelong Democrat and someone who really wants to keep New Jersey blue, I would find another Democrat to vote for even if it meant writing in someone. I could not with a clear conscience ever vote for this man. Nor would I encourage anybody else to. Some things are just not forgivable,” said Michael Macko, whose father, William Macko, was killed in the World Trade Center bombing while working in the North Tower.

“These are people being associated with the very horrific killing of my father. Whenever I see things like this it’s hard because your immediate reaction is just unbelief,” Macko added.

“Maybe he didn’t know how bad the sheik was,” Macko said of Hamawy, “but I would find that hard to believe given his closeness to him.”

Many survivors said memories of the 1993 bombing have faded in public consciousness because of the September 11 attacks, though they continue to live with the trauma decades later.

James Outerbridge, who survived both the 1993 bombing and the September 11 attacks, told the Washington Free Beacon on Monday that he remains in therapy because of his experiences.

“What had happened [in 1993] not only affected me, but was a precursor to 9/11,” Outerbridge said.

Outerbridge, who worked at a bank in the towers and later helped save hundreds of lives during the September 11 attacks, sharply criticized Hamawy’s candidacy.

“There’s no place for people like this,” Outerbridge said. “Allowing people who have those kinds of connections to come in here, run for political office, and then who knows, down the line, put their own agenda into play.”

“He doesn’t deserve to run for political office in our country,” he added.

Charles Maikish, who directed the Port Authority’s World Trade Department during the bombing, recalled to the Beacon feeling the tower physically shake when the blast occurred.

“I was sitting at my desk in Tower One when the tower heaved. It just actually heaved. And I knew something had happened,” he said.

“I always referred to them as my twins,” Maikish added. “And it was a devastating experience to have it, you know, injured the way it was injured.”

Speaking about Hamawy’s ties to Abdel-Rahman, Maikish said: “Personally, it disgusts me. For somebody that has befriended that group, or the head of that sect that perpetrated such a heinous crime, to me, is just totally against what would be a free, open, democratic society.”

Questions surrounding Hamawy’s relationship with the Blind Sheikh resurfaced after reports highlighted a 1995 New York Times article that identified him as a “supporter” of the cleric.

“If you need anything, you can just give me a call,” Hamawy reportedly told Abdel-Rahman in 1993, months after the bombing.

Hamawy has not denied knowing the cleric, who died in prison in 2017, but has dismissed criticism over the relationship as “right-wing, MAGA smears.”

While Hamawy’s Democratic rivals had initially been cautious in addressing the controversy, some have recently begun speaking more openly as the primary race enters its final weeks.

“You are known by the company you keep. In the mid 1990s when Adam Hamawy indicated he was an interpreter for [the Blind Sheikh], who was convicted of acts against this country, he sat in a ride and developed amnesia about what transpired on that very long road trip,” said Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp.

“You can’t describe Adam Hamawy as a progressive,” Mapp added. “He is what you would call a radical extremist. Individuals associating with clearly anti-American views like the convicted Sheikh call into question people like Dr. Hamawy.”