Mamdani, AOC seen giggling while victims' names were being read at 9/11 memorial

AOC and Zohran Mamdani seen laughing at the 9/11 memorial ceremony on Friday.

In a stunning display of disrespect on the 25th anniversary of the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were caught on camera during one of the most solemn moments of the memorial service being held in lower Manhattan on Friday.

News cameras showed one of the memorial fountains that was built in the footprint of one of the two original Twin Towers as the names of victims who were killed in the attacks were read publicly. The shot then dissolved to a closeup of a man leaning over and sobbing into his arm as the reading of names continued. Seconds later, the camera cut to a shot of Mamdani and AOC who could be seen laughing and giggling in the middle of it all -- a startling juxtaposition given the raw emotion of the day. It wasn't immediately clear what the two were laughing about.

Prior to the memorial service, there had been a concerted effort from the victims' families and others to persuade Mamdani to avoid attending the event. He insisted he would show up. He even shook hands with former NYC Mayor Rudy Giluliani early on Friday at the outset of the ceremony. Giuliani was one of the leading voices urging Mamdani not to attend the event. More than 100,000 signed a petition calling on Mamdani not to attend.

The 25th anniversary event drew thousands of mourners to lower Manhattan, the very site where, 25 years ago, radical Islamic extremists hijacked jetliners and crashed them into each of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers. Within two hours of the attack, both of the towers collapsed, killing almost 3,000 people in the city and injuring scores more. 

Watch the video of AOC and Mamdani laughing during Friday's ceremony.