Four Thousand Israelis Who Worked in The World Trade Center Did Not Show up for Work on the Day of the Terrorist Attacks–Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
This eRumor says that when the attacks took place on September 11, there was immediate mourning of 4,000 Israelis who worked in the towers and who were killed. Then, according to the eRumor, there was suddenly no mention of the Israeli losses. That was because it has been discovered that none of them showed up for work that day. The clear suggestion of the is that they were tipped-off about the planned attacks. Presumably because of the pending attacks, a decision was made to cancel a planned appearance by Premier Ariel Sharon. The report closes by saying that the FBI arrested five Israelis after the attack who were filming it and rejoicing over it. The implication is that Israelis may have been responsible for the attacks.
The Truth:
Nothing in this report fits with any of the facts that are known about the terrorist attacks.
This report came from Al-Manar Television in Beirut Lebanon, a pro-Palestinian channel.
In his book Against All Enemies, former White House counterterrorism advisor Richard Clark states that the story was false.
He says, “With almost every terrorist incident or similar event, an urban legend develops that challenges the official story. After the events of 9/11, one widespread legend had it that Israel had attacked the World Trade Center and had warned Jews not to go to work that day.”
last updated 4/8/04