A former youth organizer for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who allegedly posted threatening messages targeting Jewish students at a Brooklyn high school, was once a popular student at that same institution.
According to the New York Post, Iman Abdul, 27, was arrested on August 9 for allegedly posting a social media message urging an "attack" on Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences in Manhattan Beach. The NYPD charged her with making a terroristic threat, acting in a manner injurious to a child, aggravated harassment, and making a threat of mass harm.
Abdul graduated from the same school in 2016 and was voted "biggest flirt" in her yearbook, according to classmate Alina Bernstein. Bernstein described Abdul as one of the popular students who performed in the school's annual SING! musical show and "grew up in a mansion."
Popular Student Turned Alleged Threat
Bernstein, who took a social justice elective with Abdul, said she showed no radical tendencies during their high school years. The yearbook photo of Abdul features a quote attributed to Marilyn Monroe: "Fear is stupid, so is regret."
After graduation, Abdul became involved in political activism and worked as a youth organizer for Ocasio-Cortez's successful 2018 congressional campaign. A campaign spokesperson for the congresswoman insisted to Fox News that Abdul was never on "staff" and condemned the hate speech, stating their comments are "appalling and we condemn threats of violence without hesitation."
Despite the denial, Abdul claimed in a 2019 interview that she worked as a youth organizer for the socialist politician. The web page containing this interview was deleted following her arrest, though critics noted that Ocasio-Cortez followed Abdul among 3,126 accounts on Instagram.
Social Media Post Sparks Investigation
The charges stem from Abdul's Instagram post featuring a screenshot of Goldstein High School's location on Google Maps. The caption read: "If anyone needs a public school in NYC to attack for whatever reason … Lexus driving Israhell (sic) loving Zionisits (sic) all attend here."
Bernstein, who is Jewish, found irony in the post given Abdul's privileged background. She noted that Abdul "grew up in a mansion, having more money than most of the Jews in our school, and drove a Range Rover."
In subsequent Instagram posts, Abdul called Bernstein "a Zionist bitch" and made additional derogatory comments about Jewish women. The NYPD arrested Abdul one day after the threatening post appeared on social media.
High-Profile Legal Representation
Abdul was released without bail and is scheduled to face charges on November 19. She immediately hired criminal defense attorney Geoffrey St. Andrew Stewart, whose late mother Lynne Stewart was convicted and imprisoned for helping terrorist client Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman communicate with his followers.
Moshe Spern, president of United Jewish Teachers, expressed alarm at Abdul's choice of legal representation. He stated it is concerning that "Iman Abdul has retained a high-profile attorney associated with someone who defended individuals accused of terrorism."
Spern also criticized the decision to release Abdul without bail until November, calling it "a significant concern for all New Yorkers." Stewart did not respond to messages seeking comment about his representation of Abdul.
