New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is expected to consider appointing Ramzi Kassem, a law professor who previously defended an al-Qaeda terrorist and a prominent pro-Palestinian activist, to a senior legal position in his administration, according to a report published Monday.

Kassem, a professor at The City University of New York and a member of Mamdani’s legal transition team, is reportedly the leading candidate for chief counsel—one of the most senior advisory roles in the mayor’s office. The report cited sources close to the transition process.

Kassem, 47, was part of the legal team that defended Ahmed al-Darbi, an al-Qaeda operative convicted in 2017 for his role in the 2002 bombing of the French oil tanker Limburg off the coast of Yemen. He also represented Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian-born activist who led a pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University and is currently facing deportation proceedings following his detention by US immigration authorities.