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University Assistant Faces Backlash Over Controversial Bombing Joke

3/10/2026

Summary

Story summary

Djamil Lakhdar-Hamina, a University of Maryland research assistant, sparked backlash with a March 1 video joking about bombing Los Angeles and Miami to target Cuban and Iranian American supporters of U.S. actions against Iran.
In a video, he criticized the Iranian diaspora and used 'gusanos' to describe Cuban exiles.
Calls for the University of Maryland to respond have emerged, and neither the university nor the Democratic Socialists of America has commented.

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Story summary

Djamil Lakhdar-Hamina, a University of Maryland research assistant, sparked backlash with a March 1 video joking about bombing Los Angeles and Miami to target Cuban and Iranian American supporters of U.S. actions against Iran.
In a video, he criticized the Iranian diaspora and used 'gusanos' to describe Cuban exiles.
Calls for the University of Maryland to respond have emerged, and neither the university nor the Democratic Socialists of America has commented.