Did Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed say he believes America deserved 9/11? There’s no proof

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            <p class="fact_check_info_description">No evidence exists showing that El-Sayed ever made comments suggesting the U.S. deserved the September 11 terrorist attacks. Instead, this remark was originally uttered back in 2019 by Hasan Piker, a far-left Twitch streamer who later campaigned for El-Sayed in 2026.</p>
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<p>In August 2026, speculation circulated claiming that Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, had stated that the U.S. brought the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on itself—referring to the tragedy that destroyed the World Trade Center's twin towers in New York City.</p>

<p>This allegation stemmed partly from El-Sayed's Republican opponent in the race, Mike Rogers. Rogers shared a public post via his <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DbqT-hZuVSs/">Instagram</a> and X accounts asserting, "Never in a million years did I think that I would be running against someone who believes America deserved 9/11" (<a href="https://perma.cc/D6MD-BN3J">archived</a>):</p>

<p>The assertion also surfaced across <a href="https://www.facebook.com/theconread/posts/pfbid02AGFfBDDtC7euHJEc69SakuvPYfRQaj4ovaP5iwKvVzuNvXBAtdF65Ys6ry5NPC6Dl">Facebook</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122212081742956358&amp;set=gm.1513106700276413&amp;idorvanity=212490787004684">posts</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/reel/2117265855563982">reels</a>, prompting various readers to reach out in search of verification.</p>

<p>Investigators found zero proof that El-Sayed made any such remarks regarding the 9/11 attacks, leading to a designation of false for the claim.</p>

<p>An inquiry was sent to El-Sayed's campaign team seeking comment on the matter, and updates will be provided if a response is issued.</p>

<p>Investigations indicate that Rogers and several conservative social media commentators mistakenly attributed a statement made by far-left Twitch streamer Hasan Piker in 2019 to El-Sayed. Piker subsequently <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKQGvVsRpaE">retracted his assertion</a> that "America deserved 9/11" shortly after making it.</p>

<p>To verify the origins of the rumor, searches were conducted using search engines like <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=abdul+el-sayed+said+america+deserved+9%2F11&amp;sca_esv=89317be53c67f56a&amp;sxsrf=APpeQntAgxbvdetD4hQJNRvs0S2oFuK0bA%3A1786040369545&amp;source=hp&amp;ei=MdB0aoboGtWZptQPtZ38kAw&amp;iflsig=ABILxe8AAAAAanTeQephBpkE0oq5M6E9Ht3KKknhaXb_&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjGxJnuzoyWAxXVjIkEHbUOH8IQ4dUDCDE&amp;uact=5&amp;oq=abdul+el-sayed+said+america+deserved+9%2F11&amp;gs_lp=Egdnd3Mtd2l6IilhYmR1bCBlbC1zYXllZCBzYWlkIGFtZXJpY2EgZGVzZXJ2ZWQgOS8xMUj3AlAAWABwAHgAkAEAmAFvoAFvqgEDMC4xuAEDyAEA-AEC-AEBmAIAoAIAmAMAkgcAoAc7sgcAuAcAwgcAyAcAgAgB&amp;sclient=gws-wiz">Google</a>, <a href="https://perma.cc/QE6L-YFFH">Bing</a>, and <a href="https://perma.cc/828D-5Q8T?type=image">DuckDuckGo</a>. Had El-Sayed genuinely made those comments, major news organizations like Reuters, The Associated Press, or Bloomberg undoubtedly would have covered it—yet no such coverage existed.</p>

<p>However, Piker—<a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbqXT8-JyNU/">who participated in campaigning for El-Sayed</a>—did utter those exact words during an August 2019 live stream on Twitch:</p>

<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSYVXXCFkAg"></iframe></p>

<p>"America deserved 9/11, dude," the streamer declared. "F*** it. I'm saying it."</p>

<p>Piker later addressed the remark during an episode of "The Conversation," a political commentary show on the left-leaning platform The Young Turks Network, which he co-hosted with Cenk Uygur. He acknowledged using the phrase and attempted to offer context for his viewpoint:</p>

<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKQGvVsRpaE"></iframe></p>

<p>An excerpt from the transcript at the 00:39 timestamp captures the exchange:</p>

<blockquote>
    <p>Uygur: So you said America deserved 9/11. Did you mean that?</p>
    <p>Piker: N<span class="ytAttributedStringHost ytAttributedStringLinkInheritColor" role="text">o. Obviously not. Especially considering the fact that ... well ... that is a very viral quote that is going around currently. If those people were at least even remotely charitable o</span><span>r cared about the actual truth of what I was talking about they would understand that within context, I was simply referencing the fact that all of </span><span class="ytAttributedStringHost ytAttributedStringLinkInheritColor" role="text">the foreign policy decisions, and our arming of insurgent groups in the region, and our efforts in destabilizing the Middle East have a direct consequence — a boomerang effect rather, if you will — in in causing 9/11. Of course, every part of what I advocate for is against violence. I abhor violence. I think it's awful.</span></p>
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<p>Additional records show that the U.S. House of Representatives evaluated a <a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/house-resolution-piker-antisemitism/">resolution targeting Piker</a> over allegations of antisemitism.</p>