A person identified only as an 'Arab' or 'Muslim' repays a stranger's act of kindness with a cryptic warning not to go to a specific place at a specific time, supposedly saving them from a planned terrorist attack.
Description: Rumor / Urban legend
Circulating since: 2001
Status: False (see details below)
Example #1:
Email contributed by J. Blanchette, Oct. 30, 2001:
I DON'T KNOW HOW TRUE THIS IS. BUT, .....BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY.
Susie's cousin just emailed this to her:
apparently a woman in her (Nicole's)office just called attention to all in her office, this is what happened to her daughter in law who also lives in NYC and just called her.
She was in grocery store just this am (10/30) and helped out someone in front of her in check out line. The gentleman was short $2 so she gave it to the cashier to pay for the groceries he had. He thanked her and left. When she got outside, he was there waiting for her and approached her asking why she did that for him.
she explained it was just the thing to do and it was only $2 and not to worry about it.
He then told her, that he was going to return the favor and advise her "do not drink any Coke products or go to any malls in the next week" and stay out of Manhattan.
She thought it was peculiar so she went to the FBI station in NY that everyone there has been advised to report anything suspicious or out of the ordinary. When she did, they asked her to look thru some pics of people they know in connection with it. She ID'd the guy they have in file as one of the suspected terrorists they have some info on but haven't been able to find. Now they are doing a mass search for him in all of NY.
If she hadn't ID'd the guy, I would say, just another empty threat, but since she did, I want to let everyone know. Please pass it along. It may be nothing and it may be just another scare, but I'd rather be safe with my family and friends then sorry at this point. We just can't take anything forgranted anymore.
There was a news conference last night saying that they have once again rec'd on good confirmation that something else is going to happen, but don't know when or where - which of course doesn't help us to know anything. If this was a true warning, please take heed.
Example #2:
Email contributed by "kaseydia," Oct. 31, 2001:
OK everyone, you all know me by now and can judge my character by my emails. I have something so disturbing to tell you that I can barely type. My daughter went to pick up my granddaughter at school and while waiting for her she was chattin with another Mother about going out trick or treating. The women then proceeded to tell Tami this story.
She lives in Hollywood and went to a 711 store and there were two (2 ) Arabs there and one (1) of them were . 70 cents short. She turns and gives him the . 70 cents. He follows her out to the store and proceeds to tell her the following, " OK now that you did me a favor I'm going to do you a favor, just don't come to this 711 on Halloween night, " Thanked her and went back onto store. She somehow got his license number and call the cops. Well, guess what he was on the top 10 most wanted list. Now if just anyone would be telling me this story I wouldn't be so shook but since it's coming from my daughter you know I believe her. I have not checked this out with our local police because it just happened this morning. well, you make of it what you want but I damn well have to believe it and feel the obligation to tell the whole world. Please email this to everyone on your buddy list. GOD knows what they have planned for us & we do know they are here in this country. Maybe they are going to blow up all the 711 stores. Who knows? GOD BLESS US ALL
Example #3:
Email contributed by Scott F., Jan. 6, 2009:
Subject: FW: Warning for NY Jews on Wednesday Jan 7
Importance: High
I can’t verify this but in these times we live in who knows. Today my wife attended a shiur in which the speaker said her daughter knows the woman involved in this warning, so perhaps it’s not an urban legend, and may be for real.
Something very concerning happened. My mother-in-law works in Rambam HS and one of the Rebbeim said that someone he knows was shopping yesterday and had a cabbie driving her around all day. At the end of the day she gave the driver a generous tip and he told her that he’s Muslim and since she was so nice she should stay away from the city on Wednesday. This is being taken seriously by the FBI and resounds of stories that supposedly happened around 9/11.
Analysis: Personal anecdotes about an "Arab," "Muslim," or "turban-wearing" stranger repaying an act of kindness with a warning not to be in a certain place at a certain time — apparently implying foreknowledge of an impending terrorist attack — proliferated in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 and continue to crop up on occasion, particularly when violence in the Middle East flares.
The most recent specimen quoted above made the rounds via word of mouth, text message, and email during the Israeli attack on Gaza in early January 2009. Specifically targeting Jewish people in and around New York City, variants of the rumor ranged from warnings to avoid specific locations such as bridges and tourist spots ("An Israeli police officer pulled over an Arab taxi guy and found sketches of the Verrazano Bridge and Times Square dated 1/7/09"), to warnings that Manhattan should be avoided entirely ("A Jewish woman gave a tip to a Muslim taxi driver and out of appreciation he warned her not to go to Manhattan next week Wednesday"). Officials said they knew of no credible threats matching any version of the story, which New York Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne dismissed as an "urban myth."
