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Exclusive | Afghan businessman openly sells vile 9/11 rug in Santa Barbara

Nypost · · 462 words · By Titus Wu
Cultural Conflict Character Assassination Moral Outrage
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/03/us-news/afghan-businessman-openly-sells-vile-9-11-…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 95% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
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Smears 85% confidence
Using damaging allegations to undermine a person's reputation.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

10 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

info Single Source 7
check_circle Corroborated 3
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“Tribal Rugs & Art was promoting one of the items as the centerpiece of its display on the sidewalk on the bustling State Street on Saturday afternoon.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While web search results confirm the existence of Tribal Rugs & Art on State Street in Santa Barbara, there is no independent corroboration from a second source confirming the specific event of displaying a 9/11 rug on the sidewalk on a Saturday afternoon.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The culture of Afghanistan has persisted for centuries and encompasses the cultural diversity of the nation. Afghanistan's culture is historically strongly connected to nearby Persia, including the sa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Afghanistan
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Parviz Tanavoli (Persian: پرویز تناولی; born 1937) is an Iranian sculptor, painter, educator, and art historian. He is a pioneer within the Saqqakhaneh movement, a neo-traditionalist art movement. Tan…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parviz_Tanavoli
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A Persian carpet (Persian: فرش ایرانی, romanized: farš-e irâni [ˈfærʃe ʔiː.ɹɒː.níː]), Persian rug (Persian: قالی ایرانی, romanized: qâli-ye irâni [ɢɒːˈliːje ʔiː.ɹɒː.níː]), or Iranian carpet is a heavy…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_carpet
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“The controversial mat, priced at $450, shows the moment the two planes hit the Twin Towers with parts of the buildings missing where the jets collided.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific price of $450 and the description of the rug's imagery are not corroborated by independent sources in the provided evidence; other search results discuss Afghan war rugs generally or a different individual (Miles Routledge) buying one.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An oriental rug (or carpet) is a woven textile, historically handmade, most typically used as a floor covering and originating in the "Orient." Geographically, oriental rugs are made in an area referr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_rug
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A carpet or rug is a textile floor covering that typically consists of an upper layer of pile attached to a backing. In Europe, the pile was traditionally made of wool, but since the 20th century, syn…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpet
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A Turkmen rug (Turkmen: Türkmen haly [tʏɾkˈmøn χɑˈɫɯ]) is a type of handmade floor-covering textile originating in Central Asia. They were originally produced by the Turkmen tribes of Turkmenistan, Af…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkmen_rug
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“The lower portion of it also features what appeared to be references to the US war in Afghanistan, showing tanks, grenades and military helicopters with the date “19-3-03” stitched in.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific details regarding tanks, grenades, and the date '19-3-03' are only found in the cross-reference to the NY Post article.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Ides of March () is the day on the Roman calendar marked as the Idus, roughly the midpoint of a month, of Martius, corresponding to 15 March on the Gregorian calendar. It was marked by several maj…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ides_of_March
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Ma…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The March man refer to: Bataan Death March in the Philippines during World War II March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a 1963 civil rights event Salt March, when Gandhi in 1930 walked to protest…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_March
+ 4 more evidence sources
info
“Another label in the top corner of the rug simply said: “9-11-01.””
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific text '9-11-01' on the rug is mentioned in one web search result that appears to be quoting the same story, but it is not independently corroborated by a separate news organization.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. Under the U.S. Constitution, the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_Unit…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is the definite article in English. The, or THE, may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_(disambiguation)
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The store is owned by Masood Azizi, an Afghan native, who has been running the store since 1980, according to his website.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources confirm Masood Azizi is the owner of Tribal Rugs & Art in Santa Barbara and that he has been operating since 1980.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 2003 in Afghanistan is a list of notable events in Afghanistan during 2003
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_in_Afghanistan
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Cabinet of Afghanistan (also known as the Council of Ministers) is the executive body of the government of the country, responsible for day-to-day governance and the implementation of policy set b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_of_Afghanistan
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“Azizi told the Post that it was imported from Afghanistan”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim discusses a different Masood Azizi (a Major General/politician) or general 9/11 theories, but does not confirm that the store owner Masood Azizi stated the rug was imported from Afghanistan.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The theory: The day before the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. government’s National Security Agency (NSA) intercepted two communications, both from Afghanistan to Saudi Arabia. One says, “Tomorrow is zero hou…
https://www.rd.com/list/secrets-not-telling-you-9-11/
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web search NEUTRAL — Major General Masood Ahmad Azizi was previously an Afghan politician and academician who served as the Deputy Interior Minister for Policy and Strategy in Afghanistan.
https://www.azuresea.io/investors/masood-azizi
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web search NEUTRAL — Masood Azizi. دبي الإمارات العربية المتحدة. ٤ آلاف متابع أكثر من 500 زميل.For great achievements in the reform of Police force, decreasing the gap between public and government, increasing the donor s…
https://ae.linkedin.com/in/masood-azizi-82528757
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“The 9/11 motif is not an uncommon feature for Afghan war rugs, which document such historical incidents.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (The Guardian, NY Post, and other web results) confirm that Afghan 'war rugs' frequently depict historical conflicts, including 9/11.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Where To Find Afghan War Rugs. Visiting Afghanistan With YPT.These Afghan war rugs have proven popular (and controversial), often videos and photos going viral online, splitting audiences.
https://www.youngpioneertours.com/afghan-war-rugs/
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web search NEUTRAL — Afghan War Rugs: The Modern Art of Central Asia features a collection of approximately 40 rugs ranging in date from around the 1970s through the events of September 11, 2001, depicting the violent his…
https://hyperallergic.com/traditional-craft-meets-conflict-i…
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web search NEUTRAL — This article is more than 11 years old. Afghan weavers have been incorporating contemporary images of war into their rugs since 1979, when Soviet forces occupied major areas of the country.
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/shortcuts/gallery/2…
+ 1 more evidence source
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“He was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to pay $30,759 in restitution in 2012 for failing to retain a business permit after failing to pay sales tax for more than two years.”
CORROBORATED
The specific sentencing of Masood Azizi to three years probation and the restitution amount of $30,759 for operating without a seller's permit is confirmed by both the NY Post and a separate web search result reporting on the sentencing.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Masood Azizi, owner of Tribal Rugs and Art at 528 State Street, was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to pay $30,759 in restitution after pleading guilty to one count of operating a busin…
https://www.independent.com/2012/01/05/tribal-rugs-and-art-o…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A Taylorville, Illinois, woman, Lori Zeitler, 65, was sentenced on September 26, 2024, to three years of probation and ordered to pay $600,000 in restitution after being convicted of five counts of wi…
https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdil/pr/taylorville-illinois-wo…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A former Los Angeles-based Amtrak employee was sentenced in Los Angeles Municipal Court on March 13, 2020, to three years of probation, ordered to pay $34,030 in restitution to Amtrak, and to complete…
https://amtrakoig.gov/investigation-reports/investigative-su…
+ 1 more evidence source
info
“One showed him smiling as he chatted to Olympus Has Fallen star Gerard Butler and an unnamed woman back in 2016.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The detail about the photograph with Gerard Butler in 2016 is only mentioned in the NY Post cross-reference.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — One showed him smiling as he chatted to Olympus Has Fallen star Gerard Butler and an unnamed woman back in 2016.
https://nypost.com/2026/05/03/us-news/afghan-businessman-ope…
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“His website says: “His longstanding, family-owned business is a staple of Santa Barbara’s famed lower State Street shopping district.””
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific quote from the website is only provided in the NY Post cross-reference.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — His website says: “His longstanding, family-owned business is a staple of Santa Barbara’s famed lower State Street shopping district.”
https://nypost.com/2026/05/03/us-news/afghan-businessman-ope…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.