Nicholas Scoppetta

Imam Intikab Habib, who is due to be sworn in as New York City Fire Department’s second ever Muslim chaplain, expresses doubts about the official US government story as to who is responsible for the 9/11 attacks. 30-year-old Habib, a native of Guyana who has lived in New York since 2000, tells New York’s Newsday, “I as an individual don’t know who did the attacks. There are so many conflicting reports about it. I don’t believe it was 19… hijackers who did those attacks.” He says, “I’ve heard professionals say that nowhere ever in history did a steel building come down with fire alone. It takes two or three weeks to demolish a building like that. But it was pulled down in a couple of hours. Was it 19 hijackers who brought it down, or was it a conspiracy?” [Newsday, 9/30/2005] After making the comments, and shortly before he is due to be sworn in as chaplain, Habib resigns. Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta tells reporters, “It became clear to him that he would have difficulty functioning as a Fire Department chaplain. And then I understand the head of the Islamic Society of the Fire Department… told him they were withdrawing their support.” [Associated Press, 9/30/2005; Newsday, 10/1/2005]