News

NJ police captain says some Muslims did celebrate on 9/11

http://nypost.com/2015/12/21/nj-police-captain-says-some-muslims-did-celebrate-on-911/

By Bob Fredericks

December 21, 2015 | 3:10pm

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A view of the World Trade Center from Jersey City on Sept. 11, 2001. Photo: AP

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Some Muslims in New Jersey did celebrate the 9/11 terror attacks during rooftop and street parties until they were broken up by the cops, a new report said Monday.

There were at least two celebrations and likely more, with men shouting “Allahu Akbar” and women chanting in Arabic, NJ.com reported.

“Some men were dancing, some held kids on their shoulders,” said retired Jersey City police Capt. Peter Gallagher, who responded to the scene after numerous 911 calls from outraged residents.

“The women were shouting in Arabic and keening in the high-pitched wail of Arabic fashion. They were told to go back to their apartments since a crowd of non-Muslims was gathering on the sidewalk below and we feared for their safety.”

Gallagher said he cleared a rooftop celebration of up to 30 people at 6 Tonnele Ave., a four-story apartment building with a view of Lower Manhattan, after the second tower fell.

Another witness said he saw a celebration on John F. Kennedy Boulevard, a main thoroughfare in the city.

“When I saw they were happy, I was pissed,” said Ron Knight, 56, who also heard cheers of “Allahu Akbar” — “God is great” — from a crowd of about 20 people that morning.

Residents also placed numerous 911 calls complaining about Muslims partying on a rooftop at a third location, three cops told the website.

Donald Trump created a storm of controversy when he said that “thousands and thousands” of Muslims celebrated the attacks on the Twin Towers.

Donald Trump speaks to a crowd in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., on Dec. 7.Photo: Getty Images

But NJ.com said Gallagher — described by former colleagues as a respected professional — and other witnesses confirmed the celebrations, if not their size.

And the FBI took several residents of the building where Gallagher was into custody in the following days, according to neighbors and a story at the time in The Star-Ledger, though it was unclear if they were ever charged with a crime.

Carlos Ferran, 60, a neighbor of Knight, was on his way to buy some beer when he saw the gathering on the sidewalk.

“Some of them had their hands in the air,” Ferran said. “They were happy.”

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, one of many politicians who blasted Trump after the remarks, still denied that celebrations took place despite the eyewitness accounts.

“There are no records of this, and over time, what has happened is that it has become urban legend in many cities where people say they heard or saw something,” Fulop told the website.