Saudi Caught Filming Jewish Day School
Barbara Pash
NOVEMBER 05, 2003
The FBI's Terrorism Task Force is investigating a disturbing incident that happened last week at a girls yeshiva in Pikesville. An alert parent spotted a young man, later identified as a Saudi Arabian national, and a female companion videotaping students at Bais Yaakov School for Girls, on the Smith Avenue campus, and reported it to authorities.
"It was just strange. Driving up the driveway was a car with a Middle Eastern-looking man ó dark complexion, thick dark hair ó and a woman sitting next to him with a video camera," said the parent, who asked to be anonymous. "It didn't fit. He didn't fit being there and then the videotaping."
Since the incident, Bais Yaakov as well as Talmudical Academy, an 800-student boys yeshiva, have sent letters to parents informing them of the incident and of extra security measures that have been instituted at both Pikesville schools. Dr. Rita Shloush, head of school at Yeshivat Rambam/Maimonides Academy on Park Heights Avenue, says the 420-student coed school plans to send a cautionary letter, too.
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Arthur Rose, Bais Yaakov's executive vice president, called the decision to send the letter a "tough call. You don't want to frighten people, but it's important they know what really happened."
Bais Yaakov has about 1,300 students in preschool through 12th grade on two campuses, Park Heights (for preschool through fifth grade) and Smith Avenue (for sixth through 12th grades). The middle and high schools, which opened there in 2002 and 2003, respectively, have a total of about 650 students.
Half-day Sunday classes are standard for the middle and high schools. On Sunday, Oct. 26, the parent was sitting in the carpool line for his daughters after the 12:30 p.m. dismissal when he saw the couple. "There were a lot of girls outside waiting to be picked up," said the parent, who at first thought the couple might be there for that purpose.
"But they didn't stop. The woman was sitting next to him and filming as they went, panning the camera," the parent continued. "They made one circuit around the driveway and then I cut them off. They stared at me, then went around me and started to speed up, the woman crouching in her seat."
Exiting the long, winding Bais Yaakov driveway, the couple turned east onto Smith Avenue, heading toward Mount Washington Village. The parent followed the car as it sped down the street, weaving through traffic.
"He was trying to shake me," said the parent, who tailed the car for about a mile. By this time, though, the parent had written down the Maryland license plate number and called the 911 emergency number. A few days later, the parent also filed a formal complaint with the FBI.
Mr. Rose has nothing but praise for this parent's action. He says that after the letter went out, he got a phone call from a mother who had witnessed the same scene. Although she hadn't taken any action, not even mentioning it to school officials at the time, it had alarmed her enough that she told her husband about it when she got home.
According to Baltimore County Police Officer Shawn Vinson, the procedure for such reports is to notify the county police's intelligence unit and the FBI. The case then becomes a joint investigation under the lead of the FBI's Terrorism Task Force, which was established after Sept. 11, 2001.
Barry Maddox, special agent and spokesman for the FBI's Baltimore Office, says the task force "gets a number of tips." After Sept. 11, there were some threats to Jewish institutions on the national level, but this is the first such incident he can remember locally. While Mr. Maddox could not comment on the specifics of the case, he did say that the man has been questioned, the video camera has been confiscated and the matter is considered an "ongoing investigation."
Said Mr. Maddox: "We are aggressively pursuing it and will continue to do so to determine if a crime was committed and exactly what the person was doing and if we should follow up."
Although the FBI is tight-lipped about details, a few more tidbits emerged from the schools' letters and the parent who made the initial report. The man turned out to be a student at a local college; the woman with him is apparently not a Saudi Arabian. The car's license tag had expired but the man was eventually located. The FBI questioned him at his home but he is not in custody. The FBI has informed Saudi officials.
Bais Yaakov's Mr. Rose says the school improved its security measures after Sept. 11. But this incident, the first of its kind on the campus, has spurred the school to enhance security. It also is consulting with a security specialist to review all precautions and recommendations.
Mr. Rose knows that he is walking a fine line between vigilance and panic. He says the FBI has assured him that it is not aware of any specific threat to a Jewish institution in Baltimore. Although Bais Yaakov has made inquiries whether the man can be prosecuted, its primary issue is the safety of its students.
"It's a challenge. You've got big, sprawling facilities, and financial constraints," Mr. Rose said of security. He added that the decision was made to continue classes as usual. "There's a high level of concern but no child has been kept out of school."
However, Mr. Rose is hoping that the matter doesn't stop with the FBI. He would like to see a meeting of all the Jewish schools in the area, to share information and ideas and, hopefully, to pool resources on security.
Chaim Wealcatch, chairman of the board at Talmudical Academy, agrees. He says the kindergarten-through-12th-grade school also is pushing for a community-wide meeting of area Jewish schools and institutions. "We'd like to have a joint response. You don't want one school or one institution putting in an armed guard, and another place, nothing," he said.
Mr. Wealcatch says that TA also has set up extra security measures after the Bais Yaakov situation. "There are probably hundreds of incidents but this one seems a little more concrete," said Mr. Wealcatch.
At the Baltimore Jewish Council, an agency of the Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, Lynn Katzen says the incident is being taken seriously. BJC itself issued a memo to Baltimore Jewish day and religious schools to that effect, stating that it was in contact with authorities but that this was not being considered a "terrorist threat."
Baltimore County officials are also on top of the situation. Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. is currently on a tour of Israeli businesses arranged by the Maryland-Israel Development Corp. But Renee Samuels, a spokeswoman, says that Mr. Smith was apprised of the incident as soon as it was reported. She says that Mr. Smith called Baltimore County police from Israel to get an updated report, and that county police have "stepped up" security.
Meanwhile, the parent who sounded the alarm says he was not afraid during the car confrontation with the man and the female passenger. "What made me take action? The knowledge I have of the possibilities that could occur. The upbringing I've had that you've got to do what needs to be done. Sometimes, God puts things in your path that are meant for you to do. You have to see those opportunities. Those things are beshert," he said.
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the woman with him is apparently not a Saudi Arabian. The car's license tag had expired but the man was eventually located. The FBI questioned him at his home but he is not in custody. The FBI has informed Saudi officials.
I wonder who the woman was? A useful American leftist idiot? I'm glad that the "Saudi officials" were informed. Abdul, or whatever his name is, has probably been repremanded for blowing the his recon mission.