On September 11, 2001, five young Israeli nationals—Sivan Kurzberg, Paul Kurzberg, Oded Ellner, Yaron Shmuel, and Omer Marmari—were arrested in New Jersey after witnesses reported seeing them filming the burning World Trade Center towers from the rooftop of a white van parked in a lot overlooking Manhattan. The witnesses described the men as appearing “jovial,” smiling, hugging, high-fiving, and seemingly celebrating the events.
The five "dancing Israelis" arrested on 9/11 later returned home and admitted on Israeli TV they were there to "document" the attacks.
— Ounka (@OunkaOnX) January 9, 2026
So, while Americans were dying, Israeli team was on the ground gathering footage. Ask yourself: documentation for whom, and why? pic.twitter.com/0wFFvgzisl
The men worked for Urban Moving Systems, a New Jersey-based moving company owned by another Israeli, Dominik Suter (who later left the U.S. for Israel). Police stopped their van later that day, finding items like cash, foreign passports, box cutters, and cameras with photos of the group posing in front of the smoking towers. The FBI detained them for over two months (71 days), subjecting them to interrogations and polygraph tests.
Investigations, including declassified FBI reports, explored possible ties to Israeli intelligence (Mossad), with some early media reports (e.g., from The Forward in 2002) citing anonymous sources claiming at least two were Mossad operatives potentially surveilling Arab communities in the U.S. However, the FBI ultimately found no evidence linking them to foreknowledge of or involvement in the 9/11 attacks. They were held on immigration violations (overstaying visas) and deported to Israel without criminal charges.
After returning home, three of the men (with the others present) appeared on an Israeli TV talk show in late 2001. One, Oded Ellner, stated: “Our purpose was to document the event,” explaining they were there because Israel experiences terrorism regularly and they wanted to record it after hearing news of the attacks. They denied celebrating the loss of life but acknowledged appearing happy in photos, attributing it to the context of anti-Israel sentiment potentially shifting.
The incident has become a persistent element in 9/11 conspiracy theories, often alleging Mossad orchestration or advance knowledge to benefit Israel. Mainstream sources (e.g., ABC News 2002 report, fact-checks from outlets like The Jewish Chronicle) and official investigations concluded no such connection existed, describing the behavior as immature or misinterpreted amid post-attack chaos. The story has been criticized for fueling antisemitic narratives blaming Jews/Israel collectively. No credible evidence has emerged tying them or Israel to planning/executing the attacks, which were carried out by al-Qaeda.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.