Adam Hamawy, a leading Democratic candidate running to succeed retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman in New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District, volunteered in Bosnia in the 1990s with a charity that was later shut down after federal authorities identified it as an Al-Qaida-linked front, according to a new report from Jewish Insider.

The revelation has added a new layer of scrutiny to Hamawy’s campaign, which was already facing questions over his past relationship with Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, the radical Egyptian cleric known as the “Blind Sheikh,” who was later convicted in a major terrorism case involving plots against New York City landmarks.

Jewish Insider reported Wednesday that Hamawy volunteered in Bosnia in 1994 with the Benevolence International Foundation, a Chicago-based charity that was later targeted by federal authorities and described as part of Al-Qaida’s support network. The report cited a 1996 Newark Star-Ledger interview in which Hamawy said he spent five weeks in Bosnia with the group, delivering medical supplies and working in Sarajevo and Zenica.

The U.S. Treasury Department and the United Nations Security Council have continued to list Benevolence International as a sanctioned entity over terrorist connections, though the organization has long since ceased operations, according to Jewish Insider.

Hamawy has not been accused of terrorism-related wrongdoing in connection with the Bosnia trip. But the report comes at a politically sensitive moment for the Princeton-area plastic surgeon, Army veteran and former combat surgeon, who has quickly become one of the most prominent candidates in the crowded Democratic primary to replace Watson Coleman.

Hamawy’s campaign has emphasized his military service, including his work as a U.S. Army surgeon in Iraq and his role in helping save the life of then-Army helicopter pilot Tammy Duckworth after her Black Hawk was shot down in 2004. Duckworth, now a U.S. senator from Illinois, has endorsed his congressional campaign.

Earlier reporting focused on Hamawy’s relationship with Abdel-Rahman, including a 1991 road trip to Detroit, his work translating for the cleric at a press conference after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and his testimony on Abdel-Rahman’s behalf during the cleric’s 1995 trial.

Abdel-Rahman was later convicted of seditious conspiracy in connection with a plot to carry out terrorist attacks in New York City. The case cemented his reputation as one of the most notorious extremist figures in the United States during the 1990s.

Hamawy has defended his conduct, saying his involvement with Abdel-Rahman was limited and has been distorted by critics. In comments reported by InsiderNJ, Hamawy said Abdel-Rahman was “a well-known person in the community” at the time and argued that attacks on him are being driven in part by anti-Muslim bias. “As a Muslim, they’re always going to find something to attack,” Hamawy said.

The new reporting about Benevolence International is likely to intensify those questions. Jewish Insider reported that Hamawy has referred publicly to his Bosnia work only in general terms, describing it as “another volunteer mission” while not naming Benevolence International.

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