- Apr 14, 2001
- 57,547
- 20,261
- 146
Beware of hoax letters, folks. If this is happening in the UK, I have no doubt it's happening here.
E-Mails Aim to Sow Unease After Afghan Strikes
Updated: Wed, Oct 10 10:27 AM EDT
LONDON (Reuters) - U.S.-British air strikes on Afghanistan have unleashed a torrent of e-mails in Britain playing on widespread fears of reprisals at home.
Police say since the first bombs and missiles landed on Afghan soil on Sunday, thousands of Britons have received telephone calls and e-mails warning them their home city was about to come under attack from a shadowy group.
The warnings have taken on credence because Britain is Washington's closest ally in its campaign against Osama bin Laden, chief U.S. suspect in the September 11 suicide attacks in New York and Washington.
The tip-off is usually made by a "friend of a friend" who is told by a mysterious Arab stranger to stay home and out of danger in the days ahead.
Variations regarding time and place usually put the mystery stranger in a post office or gas station line, although he has also been spotted in Harrods, the luxury London department store, and its chic rival Harvey Nichols.
Whatever the detail, one constant runs throughout.
The tales invariably unfold as an act of kindness -- not as a bid to scaremonger -- in which a stranger with special knowledge rewards a friendly act with a tip-off about a certain city center or form of public transport fraught with risk.
Police have struggled to know how best to handle the messages and have decided against issuing a special warning for fear of sowing yet more panic.
E-Mails Aim to Sow Unease After Afghan Strikes
Updated: Wed, Oct 10 10:27 AM EDT
LONDON (Reuters) - U.S.-British air strikes on Afghanistan have unleashed a torrent of e-mails in Britain playing on widespread fears of reprisals at home.
Police say since the first bombs and missiles landed on Afghan soil on Sunday, thousands of Britons have received telephone calls and e-mails warning them their home city was about to come under attack from a shadowy group.
The warnings have taken on credence because Britain is Washington's closest ally in its campaign against Osama bin Laden, chief U.S. suspect in the September 11 suicide attacks in New York and Washington.
The tip-off is usually made by a "friend of a friend" who is told by a mysterious Arab stranger to stay home and out of danger in the days ahead.
Variations regarding time and place usually put the mystery stranger in a post office or gas station line, although he has also been spotted in Harrods, the luxury London department store, and its chic rival Harvey Nichols.
Whatever the detail, one constant runs throughout.
The tales invariably unfold as an act of kindness -- not as a bid to scaremonger -- in which a stranger with special knowledge rewards a friendly act with a tip-off about a certain city center or form of public transport fraught with risk.
Police have struggled to know how best to handle the messages and have decided against issuing a special warning for fear of sowing yet more panic.
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