An old video shows that Donald Trump’s “tough guy” previously praised the 9/11 attacks
US: A contentious 2021 video of Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former Al Qaeda and ISIS terrorist, has reappeared online, sparking controversy less than a week after US President Donald Trump met with the newly elected president of Syria.
Al-Sharaa, then known by his jihadist identity Abu Mohammad al-Jawlani, publicly voiced his happiness over the 9/11 terror strikes that claimed over 3,000 lives in the US in the now-viral tape from a rare interview with US broadcaster PBS.
What did you think and feel on 9-11?
Jolani: Anyone living in the Islamic or Arab world who tells you he wasn’t happy is lying. pic.twitter.com/wfOZtjIfIs
— Diliman Abdulkader (@D_abdulkader) May 16, 2025
The interview was included on Frontline’s “The Jihadist” episode, which aired on June 1, 2021. “Anyone who lived in the Islamic or Arab world at the time of 99/11 nd said he wasn’t happy about it, would be lying,” al-Sharaa remarked in response to a question about his own feelings toward the September 11 attacks.
Some have harshly condemned the remarks, which were discovered and extensively shared on social media, calling them “disgraceful” and “an insult to every innocent life lost in the attack.”
Trump’s meeting leads to new discussion
The video’s comeback comes after Trump’s widely reported encounter with al-Sharaa during his trip to the Middle East last week. Trump hailed al-Sharaa for showing potential and said he had a “real shot at doing a good job” as head of state of Syria, calling the former terrorist a “young, attractive, and tough guy” with a “very strong past.”
Trump also made the stunning announcement that all US sanctions on Syria, which had been in place since 1979, would be lifted. He called this a “reward” for the Syrian people and their new government.
Critics have accused Trump of legitimizing a person who was previously labeled as a worldwide terrorist by the US and the UN, sparking a contentious discussion in Washington and elsewhere. Up until December, there was a $10 million reward on Al-Sharaa’s head.