{"id":6382,"date":"2026-08-11T19:45:40","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T19:45:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6382"},"modified":"2026-08-11T19:45:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T19:45:40","slug":"exclusive-confusion-as-nypd-denies-city-hall-claim-mamdanis-wife-rama-duwaji-will-get-police-escort-on-syria-lebanon-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6382","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive | Confusion as NYPD denies City Hall claim Mamdani\u2019s wife Rama Duwaji will get police escort on Syria, Lebanon trip"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The NYPD denied it\u2019s sending any personnel to serve as security detail for Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s wife Rama Duwaji during\u00a0her upcoming Middle East trip\u00a0\u2013 an awkward rejoinder to City Hall\u2019s claim the department \u201cstrongly\u201d recommended she be accompanied by New York City cops.<\/p>\n

Read more Mamdani blames his staff after NYPD denies NYC\u2019s first lady Rama Duwaji a police escort to the Middle East<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe NYPD does not send officers to countries with level four travel advisories for discretionary reasons not linked to investigative work,\u201d an NYPD spokesperson insisted early Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Duwaji, 29, is visiting Lebanon and Syria \u2014 both on the State Department\u2019s \u201cDo Not Travel\u201d list \u2014 starting Sept. 20.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not official business. It\u2019s not doing anything for the city,\u201d a source with knowledge of the trip told The Post.<\/p>\n

A source familiar with her security detail said the first lady, who Mamdani has described as a \u201cprivate person,\u201d specifically requested NYPD provide security following another overseas trip last month without police protection.<\/p>\n

The mayor\u2019s office made it seem like New York\u2019s Finest accompanying Duwaji on her Middle East jaunt was a done deal.<\/p>\n

\u201cUpon the strong recommendation of the NYPD, the First Lady\u2019s security detail will be joining her when she travels to visit family in Syria and Lebanon,\u201d said mayoral spokesperson Dora Pekec.<\/p>\n

But the department quickly shot down the notion in unambiguous terms.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not an investigative trip, and therefore, NYPD personnel will not be traveling there for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more CBS gives Tony Romo update with network concerned about \u2018image\u2019 after ex-NFL star\u2019s arrest<\/a><\/p>\n

The Post has reached out to the mayor\u2019s office for clarification on the apparent discrepancy, but did not immediately hear back.<\/p>\n

Former Police Commissioner Bill Bratton told The Post\u00a0it would be \u201cill-advised\u201d for the NYPD to take on such an assignment in the first place, noting it \u201cdefinitely\u201d would put officers at risk sending them to a Level 4 \u201cDo Not Travel\u201d country.<\/p>\n

He said the undertaking would be \u201cexpensive\u201d and require significant assistance and cooperation from the federal government.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThere would be lots of hoops you\u2019d have to go through for that kind of assignment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Duwaji\u2019s voyage overlaps with the 81st United Nations General Assembly, during which NYPD resources will be stretched \u2014 exacerbated after\u00a0Hizzoner urged New Yorkers to take to the streets to protest\u00a0Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the annual gathering of world leaders.<\/p>\n

Like her husband, Duwaji is known for espousing pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel views on social media, including a 2015 post claiming Tel Aviv \u201cshouldn\u2019t exist in the first place,\u201d and referring to its residents as \u201coccupiers.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was also caught liking several eyebrow-raising Instagram posts, including one lauding Hamas\u2019 Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack against Israel, and another claiming the rapes carried out by the Iran-backed terror group against Israeli hostages were a \u201cmass hoax.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Michigan Dem Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed scrubbed past videos of him saying \u2018fireworks suck,\u2019 opposing 2nd Amendment<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The NYPD denied it\u2019s sending any personnel to serve as security detail for Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s wife Rama Duwaji during her upcoming Middle East trip.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro"],"yoast_head":"\nExclusive | Confusion as NYPD denies City Hall claim Mamdani\u2019s wife Rama Duwaji will get police escort on Syria, Lebanon trip - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6382\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Exclusive | Confusion as NYPD denies City Hall claim Mamdani\u2019s wife Rama Duwaji will get police escort on Syria, Lebanon trip - 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