A seemingly innocuous photo posted by New York's mayoral front-runner, Zohran Mamdani, of his visit to Masjid At-Taqwa has become the centre of a storm in the US. However, it is not his visit that has led to the controversy, but his snug photo with a cleric believed to be a co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Centre bombing.

Last week, the 34-year-old Indian-origin Mamdani attended Friday prayers at the mosque in Brooklyn and was seen smiling and standing hand-in-hand with imam Siraj Wahhaj - an "unindicted co-conspirator" in the 1993 bombing that left six dead.

The Democrat also posted images with Wahhaj, referring to him as one of the nation's "foremost Muslim leaders" and a "pillar" of the Muslim community in Brooklyn, inviting a fierce backlash from Republicans, President

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