The campaign of U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has firmly denied any professional connection to Iman Abdul, a 27-year-old Brooklyn resident arrested last week on charges including making a terroristic threat and aggravated harassment.
The charges stem from a now-deleted Instagram post in which Abdul allegedly shared a Google Maps screenshot of Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, and suggested it as a target for “attack” due to its perceived association with “Zionist” students.
The incident has sparked widespread condemnation from Jewish advocacy groups and highlighted ongoing concerns about rising antisemitism in the U.S., particularly in the wake of heightened tensions related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Abdul, who has pleaded not guilty, maintains that her words were misinterpreted and intended only as a call for verbal criticism of the school as a “Zionist institution.”
On Thursday, August 8, 2025, Abdul reportedly posted on her Instagram account, which had approximately 25,000 followers at the time: “If anyone needs a public school in NYC to attack for whatever reason… Lexus driving Israhell [sic] loving Zionisits [sic] all attend here.”
The post included a reference to students participating in Birthright, a program offering free trips to Israel for young Jewish adults, and was accompanied by a map pinpointing the school’s location.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) arrested Abdul the following day, August 9, charging her with one count of making a terroristic threat, one count of making a threat of mass harm, aggravated harassment (potentially as a hate crime), and endangering the welfare of a child.
The NYPD described the post as a “terroristic threat via social media” targeting the school, which has a significant Jewish student population and hosts an Israel Club for students to learn about Israeli culture and celebrate Jewish holidays.
Abdul was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Her attorney, Geoffrey St. Andrew Stewart, declined to comment.
Following the post’s circulation by advocacy groups like Stop Antisemitism, Abdul’s Instagram and LinkedIn accounts were deactivated.
Abdul’s Defense and Background
In direct messages to Stop Antisemitism before deactivating her account, Abdul defended her remarks, stating: “I never called for an attack on the school in the sense of mass organization or not even individual people attacking individuals, that’s literally stupid.”
She clarified that she meant a “verbal attack on the school, the Zionist institution funded by our public dollars … we have every right to verbally attack the school,” citing prior negative experiences as a person of color in similar spaces.
Abdul, a City College of New York graduate with majors in childhood education, sociology, and Latino studies, has a history of youth activism.
She served as the former executive director of IntegrateNYC, a youth-led organization advocating for school integration and equity.
In a 2019 biographical profile for the International Congress of Youth Voices, Abdul described herself as a “youth organizer in the 2018 Democratic primaries for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Julia Salazar.”
State Sen. Julia Salazar (D-NY) confirmed Abdul’s role as a paid canvasser on her 2018 campaign but emphasized that Abdul’s recent actions do not reflect her values.
Ocasio-Cortez Campaign’s Response
Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign swiftly distanced itself from Abdul, telling Fox News: “This person was never staff on the campaign and any representation of such is false.”
The statement added, “Their comments are appalling and we condemn threats of violence without hesitation.”
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, known for her criticism of Israel’s policies and support for a ceasefire in Gaza, has repeatedly condemned antisemitism in the past.
On X, she has stated that “antisemitism has no place in our city nor any broader movement that centers human dignity and liberation,” and emphasized the need to combat bigotry while advocating for peace.
However, her office has not issued a specific statement on this incident, and searches of her X account show no direct mentions of Abdul.
Broader Context
The post drew sharp criticism from Jewish leaders and activists.
Tova Plaut, a New York City Department of Education pre-K staffer and Jewish advocate, described it as “evil” and “Jew-hatred,” stating: “A map. A pin.
A call to harm Jews, fellow New Yorkers, children, teachers.
This isn’t just dangerous. It’s evil.
Jew-hatred doesn’t stop with a threat. It escalates.
We need immediate and unequivocal action.”
Plaut added she was “outraged and horrified that a NYC school was publicly marked for attack simply because of its Jewish population.”
Stop Antisemitism shared screenshots of the post, calling for full prosecution and describing it as “incitement against the Jews, specifically children minors.”
The NYPD’s intelligence unit was alerted, leading to increased security at the school, which serves nearly 1,000 students on the Kingsborough Community College campus.
This case unfolds amid a surge in antisemitic incidents in the U.S., with the Anti-Defamation League reporting record highs in 2024, fueled in part by reactions to the Israel-Hamas war.
Advocacy groups have urged swift legal action, while Abdul’s supporters on social media have echoed her claim of misinterpretation.
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s office has not responded to requests for further details on the case. Abdul is due back in court as proceedings continue.
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