[L.N. Smithee]

The student pointed out a third-story window of New Utrecht High School toward the Trade Center and said, "Do you see those two buildings? They won't be standing there next week," according to three police sources and a city official familiar with the investigation. They said the comment came in the midst of a heated political discussion the student was having with his teacher in an English class for Arab-American students.

On Late Show with David Letterman, Dan Rather mentioned a story that he insisted he wouldn't be able to prove but that he would relate nonetheless: Members of a Muslim community in either N.Y. or N.J. all gathered on an apartment building's rooftop the morning of the attack and awaited the promised atrocities. The story goes they were heard to be cheering as they watched the jets make their impact.

FWIW: New Utrecht High is the alma mater of Gabriel Kaplan, and had 15 minutes of fame starring as "James Buchanan High" in the opening to "Welcome Back Kotter."

[Howlin]

I heard that same story somewhere. And the one I heard said they made phone calls celebrating and confirming hits; and they took pictures.

[ladyinred]

What Dan Rather said just makes me so angry. If it is true, then these people should be deported, yesterday! I know, that won't happen, but it should!

[GraniteStateConservative]

Do you happen to have a source for the Rather quote? I have looked around and haven't found it. I'm surprised that he'd say something so controversial and it not be picked up by media elsewhere.

[JerseyHighlander]

From a friend who has an uncle and first cousin on the Paterson, NJ PD, There were people(Arabs) within 10 minutes of the news coverage converging in the streets, within two hours nearly one hundred, Paterson PD were called in to "protect" them, hundreds of Paterson thugs(mostly black, some latinos, very few, if any whites) showed up, the police backed down and the Arab crowd scattered.

Personally I have no doubt that there were Arabs and Muslims in Passaic county who had prior knowledge of the attacks. Something like 26 -30 people have been arrested in Paterson and the surrounding towns. Those people didn't live in a vacuum, and word of mouth in the tight Muslim communities would have disseminated the rumors. The sad part on our security side is,that these people have been here, and privately cheered the 1993 attacks, this time they had the confidence to do so in the streets.

[timestax]

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