The 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center are etched into the memories of millions globally. Amidst the widespread horror and disbelief, a New Jersey resident, Maria, witnessed events that sparked an investigation into five young Israeli men and their potential links to Israeli intelligence.
From her apartment building in New Jersey, Maria, who preferred not to disclose her last name, had a clear view of the World Trade Center. Shortly after the first plane struck the North Tower, alerted by a neighbor, she turned her binoculars towards the unfolding catastrophe in lower Manhattan. As she observed the devastation, a peculiar scene unfolded in the parking lot of her own building.
Maria recounted seeing three young men kneeling on the roof of a white van. “They seemed to be taking a movie,” she stated. These men were filming or photographing themselves with the burning World Trade Center as a backdrop. It was their expressions that struck Maria as deeply unsettling. “They were like happy, you know… They didn’t look shocked to me. I thought it was very strange,” she explained. This unusual behavior led her to note down the van’s license plate number and contact the police. The FBI soon joined the investigation, and a statewide alert was issued for the van.
The license plate traced back to Urban Moving Systems. Around 4 p.m. on September 11th, the van was located on a service road near Giants Stadium off Route 3 in New Jersey. A police officer initiated a stop and discovered five men, aged 22 to 27, inside. The men were removed from the vehicle at gunpoint and handcuffed.
The arresting officers noted several details that heightened their suspicion. One passenger had $4,700 in cash concealed in his sock. Another carried two foreign passports. A box cutter was also found in the van. However, the most significant revelation was the men’s identification as Israeli citizens.
“We Are Not Your Problem”
According to the official police report, one of the passengers admitted to being on the West Side Highway in Manhattan “during the incident,” referring to the World Trade Center attack. Sivan Kurzberg, the van’s driver, reportedly told the officers, “We are Israeli. We are not your problem. Your problems are our problems. The Palestinians are the problem.” The other men were identified as Paul Kurzberg, Yaron Shmuel, Oded Ellner, and Omer Marmari.
This incident involving the “dancing Israelis” on 9/11 remains a point of significant discussion and scrutiny, raising questions about their motives and connections on that fateful day.
