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Mayor Blames Staff as Wife Heads to Syria Unprotected

8/12/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced his wife Rama Duwaji will travel to Syria and Lebanon without an NYPD detail, blaming a City Hall staff miscommunication.
NYPD said it does not send officers to Level 4 “Do Not Travel” countries for reasons, a stance former commissioner Bill Bratton called ill-advised.
The September 20 trip overlaps the 81st UN General Assembly, while Dov Hikind warned it would endanger officers and portray them as adversaries.

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Story summary

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced his wife Rama Duwaji will travel to Syria and Lebanon without an NYPD detail, blaming a City Hall staff miscommunication.
NYPD said it does not send officers to Level 4 “Do Not Travel” countries for reasons, a stance former commissioner Bill Bratton called ill-advised.
The September 20 trip overlaps the 81st UN General Assembly, while Dov Hikind warned it would endanger officers and portray them as adversaries.