Had a bad feeling at a recent hockey game

[Mr. Sandman]

Took the kids to an Ice Hockey game while on LI over the Christmas break. Islanders vs. Rangers. We were all excited to see these two teams play each other and watch them engage the rivalry. We had 8 great seats and I was seated on the next to the last seat on an end row. There was a vacant single seat next to me. A Middle Eastern fellow sat down next to me and he had an islander jersey on like most folks. He was really quiet. The game was heated and there were lots of big hits and wild plays. I was horse in a matter of minutes. I noticed this fellow did not utter a sound. He sat quietly. He has his cell phone on his lap and a small book in Arabic in his hands, which he was reading most of the time. Every now and again his cell phone would ring and he was talking (in Arabic) to another person in the coliseum. The second period he never opened his eyes was clearly praying and it was not for the islanders as their 2-0 lead evaporated. I was starting to get concerned about his intentions on why he was at the game if he didn’t care to look at the game. All I kept thinking was here I am sitting next to a terrorist in NY with my entire family…I didn’t like it one bit. I got up several times during the break and each time I passed him I patted him on the back or stomach or rubbed up against him slightly to see if he was strapped with anything…. felt a little overweight but no bulges. He kept reading and praying and talking to his buddy in Arabic. I kept my eyes open for a security guy and when a group of rowdy guys behind us through a beer bottle (now plastic) at the ice and it fell short and when into the crowd, they quickly appeared and removed the entire group from the game. I was about to tell the guard that this fellow is acting strange to me but by then it was late in the third period and he left.

I regret not telling someone about this sooner. Thinking about it now I was actually frightened at one point. Nothing happened it but I just hate being in places like that anymore.

If I see something that appears strange again I am getting the security folks .

[BigFish]

Could be he/they were casing the joint for a suicide gig....I have been saying it for some time now....they will begin to target sporting events....lots of people and a high body count......if I was you I would have packed the family up and left at least as a precaution......does not seem as though you spent much time watching the game....your family would have understood!

[BigFish]

How did you know this fellow was talking on the cell to someone else in the arena?

[Goose]

One time I was waiting to board a plane in SC and noticed a suitcase by itself, although it was over 15 years ago I recall it was a scary... maybe it was because I had just got out of boot camp.

[nightfighter]

Jim, I would report that to arena security as most stadiums have video surveillance. I would at least expect they would want to get the guy's face off the tape. Still got your ticket stub?

[TheSpecialist]

I would get the seat number to them, let them trace the seat out. It very well could have been a dry run.

[Raven]

take his damn picture....and hand it to the FBI. he could of had money on the game or something non threatoning...too

and bigfish is correct....they want high density targets....and their target number to exterminate americans is 2 million so you have to think out of the box a bit and wonder how they'd acomplish that.

i remember reading about...i think it was a russian dude...that got blown up by a bomb that was hidden inside a support collum and they determined it was planted there a full two years before detonation.

[Slipknot]

Let's see, he was by himself sitting in the end seat on the isle. Closed his eyes most of the second period, the rest of the time he was on cell phone or reading. Suspisious? nawww couldn't be
I can certainly understand you being nervous and uneasy sitting next to him. I would have let Homeland security know about him, that's what they get paid for isn't it?

[The Iceman 6]

Hockey has enough problems. Sandman - if you remember the seat number do what Bill said. You'll know you did everything you could...

Ice

[Mr. Sandman]

I know he was talking to some else in the area because after a while talking, he stood up and put his arms up so he could be seen by someone else. (I could not see exactly who he was looking at, there were a lot of people there). The place was sold out.

I will look for the tickets.

Hey!!. I still have the tickets and my wife took a photo of me and my son watching the game and he is in the background.

I will look into submitting it to homeland security.

I zoomed in on the background...here is what he looked like.

[The Iceman 6]

What doesn't the Sandman do?

[Flaptail]

I don't think Ice Hockey is big where he comes from. Man that is tres' scary. I woulds have called the security guys. In this day and age who cares if he gets offended. It's us versus them and I woiuld rather they lose. Definetly report that.

[Bronko]

Definitely report him, let somebody know about what transpired. Let the authorities make the decision whehter or not they will follow up. Best case scenario, he is on a watch list or is a person of interest. Worst case scenario he spends a couple hours of his life explaining he is not a terrorist. The safety and security of your family and those other Americans at that game far outweigh any inconvenience your actions will cause.

[The Dad Fisherman]

Better to say something and have nothing come of it than to not say anything and then have something happen......you'll sleep a lot better

[chris L]

he looks like a scout . he also looks like the terrorists at the gas stations I go to . bastard better take off that Islanders jersey . Like hockey is big in the middle east . NOT !

It must have been a bit of a relief after your incognito pat down and you found nothing . I would send in the picture to HL security . if he isnt on a watch list he may need to be .

bastard better take off that Islanders jersey
bastard better take off that Islanders jersey
bastard better take off that Islanders jersey

[Swimmer]

Should have hung a rubber chicken over into the bench and then give it to the arabic type fellow. The islanders bench would have taken care of the situation ala Derek Sanderson during that away game years ago.

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by nightfighter

Jim, I would report that to arena security as most stadiums have video surveillance. I would at least expect they would want to get the guy's face off the tape. Still got your ticket stub?

Jim - you gotta call it in. Sure it is a pain in the ass and 90% chance just a freak thing but let the Security Pros (or those that fill the billet) make that decision. Definitely kick this one upstairs...

This would not happen at a Bruins game - No Fans

[MoroneSaxatilis]

Originally Posted by JohnR

This would not happen at a Bruins game - No Fans

Let's be realistic: This COULD actually happen at a Bruin's game. Except instead of "Abdul from Afganistan" wanting to do harm to some innocent Americans, it would be "Jim from Southie" wanting to do harm to Mike O'Connell !

[The Iceman 6]

Bring back Thorton! And I'm a freakin' Rangers fan....

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by JohnR

This would not happen at a Bruins game - No Fans

Yah, and it would only happen again at an Islanders game if they were playing the Rangers

[Jimbo]

I'm not saying we shouldn't be concerned when we're in highly populated or crowded areas and I thoroughly regret that it has come to the point where we can't go out and enjoy doing things that used to be fun whereas now erring oin the side of extreme caution takes that fun out of it, but from the picture, this guy just doesn't seem to fit any terrorist mold I ever saw (Chris, he doesn't look like any gas station attendant I've seen in NJ, either). My company hosts a number of "off shore" consultants from India and Pakistan. These guys and girls are generally pretty neat and clean cut, extreme pacificists, pretty much damn nice people, and because they're only here for a brief period, they are constantly packing as many as they can into their rental car and going to see whatever sites they can and they often come back with the statue of liberty hats or Niagara Falls disposable raincoats they bought or tales of shows or sporting events they had never seen before. Of course if you were that concerned, Mr. Sandman, you should still call it in, the Nassau Coliseum is on-line, too, you could probably email them your picture, but maybe this guy just couldn't get seats for everyone in one spot, or maybe he didn't really want to go at all, but went with his kids and that's who he was calling to check on. I just hate to see a thread like this turn into, "do not trust anyone a shade or two darker than you, speaking in their native tongue because they're all plotting terrorists,".

[chris L]

your right Jimbo !
but Im still going to stop by my local middle east gas station walk up to the attendant and fart in his general direction .

[Raven]

but on the other hand....i think it's important to trust your intuition too. I dont think (personally) that women are the only ones that can be intuitive and rather than just dismiss it as overly concerned,paranoia or worry-some there's times that you just need to trust in your GUT instinct....or that almost silent voice within that we seldom pay attention too. It might just be the one link/lead that prevents a huge catastrophy and even though it's profiling what can it hurt , but that guys feelings with the potential of saving countless AMERICAN people's lives.

Anyone know what the tip hotline is for national security?
if so....... post it please.
and by the way: everyone should ...take the word "vigilant" seriously ....as these pricks plan stuff many years in advance and are cold and calculated.....so we should never let down our guard.

[Raven]

Originally Posted by chris L

your right Jimbo !
but Im still going to stop by my local middle east gas station walk up to the attendant and fart in his general direction .

he might try and suck it up and turn it into a bio-weapon...

[Jimbo]

I agree you can always trust your instinct to tell you the right thing to do, and while you called it profiling, like you said, who the heck cares if it could save lives. If you can justify observing any person's behavior as a threat and reporting it to the proper authority you're doing the right thing. I'm probably one of the biggest paranoid chickens here, but I'd like to think if I knew the person or not, if it turned out I was wrong, I could face them and say something like, "Hey dude, really sorry about that, but you were doing "X" and "Y", and then you did "Z" and it scared the crap out of me."

Sometime I'll tell ya about my neighbor Zaki the Whacky Paki. If I wasn't otherwise sure, I'd say this guy was a mole waking up. This guy and his wife give us hours of chuckles with the things they do.

[Raven]

it's a ZACKI attackY lol