For many New Yorkers, the immediate question wasn\u2019t just how the plot was stopped. It was how the city\u2019s new leadership would respond \u2014 specifically, how Mayor Zohran Mamdani<\/a> would react. The answer was not encouraging, and it\u2019s not a reassuring sign for the next four years.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve been here before<\/p>\n After the 9\/11 attacks<\/a>, the city faced profound uncertainty. I was here then, working as a cop in Manhattan. No one knew what would come next or whether the city could recover. We initially didn\u2019t even know who had attacked us.<\/p>\n SUSPECT IN NYC TERROR PROBE PLANNED ATTACK ‘BIGGER THAN THE BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING,’ PROSECUTORS SAY<\/a><\/p>\n What steadied New York was leadership. Mayor Rudy Giuliani projected calm and resolve, offering reassurance when it was needed most. Just as critical was the role of the NYPD, which secured Lower Manhattan, restored order and helped normalize life. There was no prolonged military presence. The police handled it.<\/p>\n New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has passed 100 days on the job but not without a big failure. (Getty)<\/p>\n What followed was a remarkable recovery. Under Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, crime fell to historic lows, tourism surged and neighborhoods flourished. It worked so well that, over the ensuing years, many came to believe terrorism was no longer an immediate threat. In the Intelligence Bureau, where I served, we had a saying: “The further we get from 9\/11, the closer we get to 9\/10.”<\/p>\n Now, as we approach the 25th anniversary of 9\/11 and with global tensions rising \u2014 including conflict involving Iran \u2014 New York once again faces that reality. And once again, it has been the NYPD that stepped forward. When the two suspects allegedly attempted to deploy improvised explosive devices, it wasn\u2019t rhetoric that stopped them. It was police work \u2014 officers pursuing and tackling a fleeing suspect<\/a> in real time.<\/p>\n NEW YORK’S MAYOR MAMDANI PROMISED CHANGE \u2014 NOW HE\u2019S GUTTING THE NYPD<\/a><\/p>\n Rhetoric over reality<\/p>\n The response from city hall, however, was less inspiring. Mamdani appeared to pivot quickly to a favored political narrative, initially focusing on “White supremacy” before grudgingly admitting the terrorist attack<\/a>. It is telling that the mayor\u2019s and other city leaders\u2019 reflex was to immediately focus on the idiotic \u2014 but peaceful \u2014 demonstration the terrorists were targeting rather than two allegedly ISIS-inspired perpetrators.<\/p>\n Compounding that concern was a highly publicized Ramadan event at Gracie Mansion<\/a> featuring Mahmoud Khalil, who was previously taken into federal custody following his involvement in disruptive protests at Columbia University.\u00a0<\/p>\n The optics were hard to miss, particularly coming on the heels of a near mass-casualty attack. Khalil, facing deportation for campus activism, is the hero. The police, who just days earlier apprehended two terrorists, are not. None of the cops involved got their Gracie Mansion moment.<\/p>\n DAVID MARCUS: THE MORE AMERICA GIVES MAMDANI, KHALIL AND THE MAD BOMBERS, THE MORE THEY HATE US<\/a><\/p>\n Mamdani represents a younger generation that did not experience 9\/11 in the same formative way. For many New Yorkers, that day still defines how seriously threats are taken. Yet the mayor\u2019s dogged ideological posture<\/a> \u2014 particularly his embrace of “collectivist” themes \u2014 suggests a naive worldview that risks prioritizing theory over hard-earned lessons. In short, when it comes to public safety, he does not appear to be learning.<\/p>\n At a time when New York is still recovering from COVID-19, that carries real-world consequences. Financial warning signs are already visible, with three different rating agencies<\/a> raising concerns about the city\u2019s fiscal outlook by downgrading New York\u2019s bond rating.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION<\/a><\/p>\n Emir Balat, 18, is arrested after allegedly throwing a handmade smoke grenade during a “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City” protest March 7, 2026. (Ryan Murphy\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Mamdani at the 100 day-plus mark<\/p>\n New York\u2019s history makes one point clear: Everything begins with public safety. Investment, tourism, the economy and quality of life, all depend on it \u2014 and on a supported NYPD. There was a time when Wall Street could be counted on to drag us out of the doldrums. But in a remote worker economy, that cushion is gone.<\/p>\n![\"Zohran](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/zohran-mandani.jpg\")
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