Queens Street Being Renamed For 9/11 Hero Thought To Be Terrorist
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - A 9/11 hero once labeled a terrorist is finally getting the honor he deserves, nearly a dozen years later.
After 9/11, wanted fliers were printed for 23-year-old Salman Hamdani.
"They tried to insinuate that he may be linked with the terrorism attack itself," his mother Talat told WCBS 880 reporter Alex Silverman.
Queens Street Being Renamed For 9/11 Hero Thought To Be Terrorist
She said she remembers reading the news reports.
"He was seen walking out with a Koran in his hand that day," she said.
But the real story came out six months later, Hamdani was an NYPD cadet and a paramedic.
"So he responded to save his fellow Americans," his mother sad. "And he gave his life."
His remains were found in 34 pieces near the north tower of the World Trade Center.
Now his street, 204th in Bayside, Queens, will bear his name.
It was a unanimous decision, according to Community Board No. 11 Chairman Jerry Iannece.
"It's a good day for America when we're able to right a wrong," he said. "It wasn't a tough decision at all. We're a compassionate community."
It's a first step, said Talat Hamdani, but she wants Salman's name in the NYPD section of the national memorial.
"Is his sacrifice any less? Is my pain any less?" she said.
"Justice takes a long time, but truth does prevail," she added.
