US conducted 'tremendous terror,' worse than al-Qaeda, Hasan Piker says in Axios interview

Far-left Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, with over 3 million followers, stated in an Axios podcast released Thursday that the US has conducted "tremendous terror" globally, exceeding al-Qaeda "pound for pound as far as the number of deaths." He cited a March strike on an elementary school in Minab, Iran, as an example, stating, "If you're killing 140 schoolgirls, that is an act of terror." Piker's comments have drawn renewed attention due to his campaigning for Michigan senatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed. Republican-affiliated groups have spent nearly $3 million attacking El-Sayed over his connections to Piker, often featuring a 2019 clip where Piker said "America deserved 9/11," a statement for which he has since apologized, clarifying it as an analysis of "blowback." El-Sayed has largely dismissed his connection to Piker, stating, "I do not agree with this statement, nor do I give much weight to the statements made by a social media streamer."