topic by
Balder
10/4/2001 (6:57)

TEL AVIV, Israel (NEWSWIRE) - Rumors began circulating almost
immediately after terrorist attacks toppled New York's Twin Towers on
September 11, indicating that Israeli workers didn't show up for work
on that day. But leading Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz today confirmed
that at least two Israeli workers knew that the World Trade Center
will come under terrorist assaults, two hours before the hijacked
airplanes crashed into the towers. Analysts in the Middle East say
that such confirmation raises many questions, and maybe the dismissed
rumors would now have to be taken seriously. According to Ha'aretz's
September 30 issue 'Odigo, the instant messaging service, says that
two of its workers received messages two hours before the Twin Towers
attack on September 11, predicting the attack would happen, and the
company has been cooperating with Israeli and American law
enforcement, including the FBI, in trying to find the original sender
of the message predicting the attack.' Micha Macover, CEO of the
company, confirmed the reports saying that 'the two workers received
the messages and immediately after the terror attack informed the
company's management, which immediately contacted the Israeli security
services, which brought in the FBI.' 'I have no idea why the message
was sent to these two workers, who don't know the sender. It may just
have been someone who was joking and turned out they accidentally got
it right. And I don't know if our information was useful in any of the
arrests the FBI has made,' said Macover. 'Odigo is a U.S.-based
company whose headquarters are in New York, with offices in Herzliya.
As an instant messaging service, Odigo users are not limited to
sending messages only to people on their 'buddy' list, as is the case
with ICQ, the other well- known Israeli instant messaging application.
Macover affirmed 'Odigo usually zealously protects the privacy of its
registered users,, but in this case the company took the initiative to
provide the law enforcement services with the originating Internet
Presence address of the message, so the FBI could track down the
Internet Service Provider, and the actual sender of the original
message.' An Arab news analyst told the PalestineChronicle.com, 'this
is very dangerous news and could turn the investigation into a
different direction.' 'If those who committed this crime are Arab and
Muslims then why would they not inform hundreds of Arabs and Muslims
working at the WTC, leaving them to die horrible deaths, while
choosing two Israeli workers to save their lives? ' he asked. 'It just
doesn't add up, it doesn't make any sense,' he added.

reply by
Someone
10/4/2001 (16:49)

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I visited the English version of Ha'aretz for Sept 30 but did not find this news there.

Thanks.

reply by
someoneelse
10/6/2001 (13:46)

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you will have to find the original newspaper from that date because the news was removed from the website