Tuesday's terrorist attacks on the East Coast caused some tense moments in the Canadian County jail in El Reno, Oklahoma when jailers and inmates were angered when an inmate from Egypt cheered after he heard the news about the World Trade Center and Pentagon attcks, said a press report.
The Ok.com said, however, that no one physically harmed the inmate, quoting the prison ward.
"The only person who laid a hand on him was me when I took him into lockdown for protective custody in a separate cell," the sheriff told the paper.
He said when the first reports came in that a second hijacked airliner hit the World Trade Center, the Egyptian "cheered, clapped and hurrahed," the official said, adding that the man was moved away from other angry inmates so the staff could watch him. The man, whose name was not released, continued to "make light of the situation."
The man is being held in the jail on a complaint of being in United States illegally, Hawkins said.
Arab “happy” reaction to the tragedies has been highlighted by the Western and Israeli media, but almost all state leaders, opposition figures and columnists have voiced their shock and sorrow for the human disaster, yet encouraged the US to modify its unpopular foreign policy and ensure justice in the region -- Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
