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Once it became clear that the only Muslim involved in the attack was one of the victims, right-wing commentators sought to shift the focus to Zohran Mamdani.
July 29, 2025Updated 5:56 p.m. ET
From the moment the news broke of a mass shooting on Park Avenue on Monday, misinformation careened through social media, declaring the massacre an act of Islamic terrorism or blaming Zohran Mamdani, who is seeking to become the city’s first Muslim mayor.
Mr. Mamdani’s surprise victory in the Democratic primary last month, coming from the far left, stirred up anti-Muslim animus not just in New York but also in pockets nationwide.
The right-wing agitator Laura Loomer, who has promoted numerous conspiracy theories — and who has become a confidante of President Trump — led the charge in blaming Mr. Mamdani for the attack, in which a gunman killed a police officer and three other people before shooting himself. “The cop killer in NYC who just killed an NYPD officer was a Mamdani supporter,” she posted on X, adding, “@ZohranKMamdani is inspiring a generation of pro-Islamic cop killers. This is why you don’t elect Muslim immigrants to office.”
Contributing to the confusion, especially in those first hours after the shooting, when details were scarce, was the name of one of the victims: Didarul Islam, a New York police officer and Bangladeshi immigrant who was working off-duty as a security guard.
Officer Islam, 36, was a father of two, with a third child on the way; a mentor to other Bangladeshi immigrants; and an active member of his mosque. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch lauded his service to the city. “He made the ultimate sacrifice, shot in cold blood, wearing a uniform that stood for the promise that he made to this city,” she said. “He died as he lived: a hero.”
Around his home in the Parkchester section of the Bronx, members of the Bangladeshi community gathered Monday night to show support and grief for his family, and played down the anti-Muslim comments beginning to circulate, said Nurul Islam, a friend of Officer Islam’s and secretary of the American Bangladeshi Welfare Organization in the Bronx. “The killer is the killer,” Mr. Islam said. “He doesn’t care who is Muslim, who is non-Muslim.”
