By MALCOLM BALFOUR

September 15, 2002 -- MIAMI - The three medical students who caused a terror scare by allegedly joking about Sept. 11, have been kicked out of the hospital where they were heading to continue their medical studies. Ayman Gheith, Omar Chaudhary and Muhammed Kambiz Butt - all U.S. citizens and students at Ross University Medical School - had planned to work and study at Larkin Hospital in Miami.

But the three were "driving north on I-95, heading out of Florida," officials at Larkin told The Post last night.

"All day long, we've been receiving threatening, hate e-mails and phone calls of a racial nature," said Dr. Jack Michel, the hospital's chief executive.

"People were not amused that these young men allegedly made jokes about Sept. 11.

"The safety of the three students, the personnel and patients would be placed in jeopardy if they were to work here, so we have sent them to another hospital out of state."

The three students told investigators they were angered by what they thought was a "suspicious look," from a woman at a Georgia restaurant while they ate breakfast Thursday morning.

In interviews yesterday, they denied making jokes about Sept. 11, but investigators countered that the men did make some off-color remarks as they tried to inflame Eunice Stone's suspicions.

Stone, 44, told authorities one of the men said he had explosives that would bring a Miami building down," and "make America cry on 9/13."

Collier County Sheriff Don Hunter, whose deputy caught the three on the highway known as Alligator Alley, was still furious yesterday.

"If this was a hoax, they have to be charged to the fullest extent of the law. Mrs. Stone did the right thing," he said.

E.J. Picolo, spokesman for Florida's Department of Law Enforcement, said, "We are referring the case back to Georgia, where the tip originated, for possible prosecution."

-- Anonymous, September 15, 2002

Answers

Threats made against Alligator Alley detainees

Hospital received numerous threats

September 15, 2002 Posted: 2:44 PM EDT (1844 GMT)

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- A Florida hospital has received threats against three Muslim-American students, who were detained in an anti- terror operation as they were traveling to start internships at the hospital.

Larkin Community Hospital president Dr. Jack Michel said Saturday he was requesting the students transfer somewhere else after receiving numerous threats because of the incident.

Michel said his hospital has received an overwhelming amount of "threatening, ethnic, racial e-mails (and phone calls) directed at Muslim-Americans."

Ayman Gheith, Kambiz Butt and Omer Choudhary -- who attend Ross University Medical School on the Caribbean island of Dominica -- were en route to Miami Friday to begin a nine-week internship at Larkin Hospital. They were pulled over by Collier County police on the east-west stretch of Interstate 75, known as Alligator Alley, on suspicion of carrying explosives after a tip-off.

Police released the three students after nearly 17 hours and after authorities had searched both vehicles for explosives. They were not arrested or charged.

Michel said, in an interview with Miami's WSVN-TV: "We're concerned about the safety of our patients and our employees.

"There's a lot of attention on this right now and we thought it would be in their best interest to go somewhere else for now."

He added that almost all of the threats "commented on [the students'] ability to be physicians and whether we as a hospital should have our patients exposed to people like that."

He said people have threatened "anywhere from parading in front of hospital to harming [the students]."

Muslim groups have contacted Larkin Hospital to protest its decision, and Michel said he would listen to their concerns and could reconsider his decision.

"If I have some level of comfort from law enforcement officials, that may change," he said. "But at this point I haven't heard anything that makes me comfortable yet."

Florida authorities had been alerted to be on the lookout for the men who were traveling in two cars, after Eunice Stone reported that she heard them make suspect comments at a Shoney's restaurant in Calhoun, Georgia.

At one point, Stone said the bearded man, Gheith, said if Americans "were sad on 9/11, wait until 9/13."

Stone said she heard one of the men ask "Do you think we have enough to bring it down?" Another one of the men replied, "If we don't have enough to bring it down, I have contacts and we can get enough to bring it down."

"To me, that meant they were planning to blow up something," she said.

Gheith said Stone was "flat out lying" and said they had only been discussing their trip to Miami.

Asked if they made any comments about September 11, joking or otherwise, he said, "Of course not."

"Would you lose control of the conversation and joke about September 11th?" Gheith asked members of the news media. "Is that even an option?"

He added: "I have one message, I think it's time for us as Americans to put down our big sticks and pick up our books and read about other people and read about what they believe before we jump to conclusions."

-- Anonymous, September 15, 2002

Stone, 44, told authorities one of the men said he had explosives that would bring a Miami building down," and "make America cry on 9/13."

No she didn't. But I can see how the news changes things over time. soon the news will be reporting that Eunice saw them counting the dynamite.

-- Anonymous, September 16, 2002

It sounds to me like they were a bunch of smart-a$$es and now they are transferred to a different hospital and they are going to complain? I hope GA files something against them.

After Columbine, my DD made some stupid remarks in school and got herself suspended. Her response was that there was freedom of speech. I told her that yes, there was, but she had better be ready for the consequenses of her abusing that freedom of speech. Never had that problem again.

-- Anonymous, September 16, 2002