POLICY WIRE FACT CHECK: Abdul El‑Sayed’s alleged “9/11 deserved” comment is a fabricated claim
The Claim In the heated 2026 U.S. Senate race in Michigan, a claim circulated widely on social media platforms, partisan blogs, and messaging apps that Democratic candidate Abdul El‑Sayed said...
The Claim
In the heated 2026 U.S. Senate race in Michigan, a claim circulated widely on social media platforms, partisan blogs, and messaging apps that Democratic candidate Abdul El‑Sayed said America “deserved” the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The claim is usually presented as a direct quote, often accompanied by a fabricated screenshot of a speech transcript or a still‑frame from a televised interview. The allegation first gained traction after a series of Republican‑aligned Twitter (now X) accounts shared the quote on October 28, 2026, tagging the hashtag #ElSayedTruth. The post was quickly amplified by a network of right‑leaning pages, prompting headlines such as Democrat Candidate Blames Victims of 9/11 in fringe outlets.
The origin of the claim appears to trace back to a meme that paired a distorted image of El‑Sayed with a fake quote graphic. The meme’s caption read, El‑Sayed: ‘America deserved what happened on 9/11.’ The graphic was shared without any citation, link to a speech, or verification of context, leading many users to assume it was authentic.
The Details & Investigation
Our investigation began by searching official transcripts of every public appearance El‑Sayed made between January 2025 and September 2026, including town halls, Senate candidate debates, televised interviews, and his personal YouTube channel. No record contains the alleged phrase or any language that could be interpreted as endorsing the attacks. The earliest known instance of the meme appeared on a fringe political forum on October 20, 2026, where a user uploaded the graphic and claimed it was taken from a secret interview. The forum post was later deleted, but archived snapshots confirm the image was never linked to a real video.
We consulted the campaign press office for Abdul El‑Sayed, which supplied a comprehensive log of all speaking engagements and affirmed that the candidate has repeatedly condemned terrorism and expressed solidarity with 9/11 victims. The press office also supplied a copy of a speech delivered on October 15, 2026, in Detroit, in which El‑Sayed said, We honor the memory of those lost on September 11 and reaffirm our commitment to a safer, more inclusive America. The language is the exact opposite of the alleged claim.
Further, we contacted independent fact‑checking organization Snopes, whose collection of eight rumors about the Michigan Senate race includes this specific allegation. Snopes categorizes the claim as False and notes that the quote originates from a manipulated image that first surfaced on a parody account. Their research aligns with the absence of any primary source evidence.
To assess whether the claim is misinformation or disinformation, we examined the actors propagating it. The initial posts originated from accounts with a history of sharing partisan falsehoods, many of which are linked to coordinated troll farms identified in a 2025 Congressional report on election interference. The rapid spread was aided by automated bots that amplified the post within minutes, suggesting a deliberate amplification strategy rather than an accidental share. Moreover, the timing—just weeks before the election—aligns with a pattern of last‑minute smear tactics aimed at damaging a candidate’s reputation.
Given the lack of any authentic source, the intentional creation of a fabricated graphic, and the coordinated amplification by partisan networks, the claim meets the definition of disinformation: a deliberately deceptive narrative engineered to influence voter perception.
The Verdict
After exhaustive review of primary source material, campaign statements, and independent fact‑checking, we conclude that the assertion that Abdul El‑Sayed said America “deserved” the 9/11 attacks is categorically false. The claim is a manufactured disinformation piece designed to exploit emotional resonance and undermine the candidate’s credibility. Accordingly, we rate the claim **FALSE** and label it **DISINFORMATION**.
Voters and media outlets should treat any future recirculation of the quote with skepticism, demand original source verification, and rely on official transcripts rather than unverified graphic memes.
Counter-misinformation & disinformation investigation conducted by PolicyWire Editorial Desk (PW).
