Newsday article mentioning Dr. Sanderson

Terror e-mail a hoax

BY JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER
STAFF WRITER
November 7, 2004

The e-mail message starts off by saying that it contains information that hasn't been released publicly, and goes on to stress that it is not an Internet scam. Then it details a planned chemical weapons attack on four Long Island malls on Nov. 26, the busiest shopping day of the year.

In one version it states, "This would be the first time a chemical weapon is used in the United States. Forces from NYC and Washington, DC, would be diverted to aid here on Long Island leaving these areas vulnerable. A second attack would take place in these areas." Though the ending includes, "I do not want to spread panic, only information," authorities say it has no apparent purpose other than to scare.

Doug Einsfeld, chief of Exchange Ambulance of the Islips, says it's a hoax and he knows why. He says the ominous message was somehow borne from a terror drill the volunteer ambulance corps had conducted with local law enforcement about two months ago. The fictional scenario involved a chemical attack at Long Island malls to take place the day after Thanksgiving, commonly known as "Black Friday" because it's the year's busiest shopping day.

Einsfeld has been fielding calls for weeks because the warning refers to a man seen taking pictures outside the volunteer ambulance corps' East Islip building. Einsfeld said he has been trying his best to allay fears. No, there is no known attack planned for Black Friday, he tells frantic callers. Yes, a man was seen taking pictures, but authorities found no evidence that he meant any harm. "It was a hoax. One hundred percent," Einsfeld said of the e-mail that has turned up in countless in-boxes. It's also posted on Web sites and discussed in online chat rooms.

Printed information about the drill, circulated internally and to police and fire officials, must have been used as a basis for the e-mail, Einsfeld said. Either someone misunderstood the information or decided to pull a prank with the make-believe scenario. "It probably started as a joke," Einsfeld said. "In this day and age, you can't joke like that." Einsfeld said that before the drill, someone was seen taking pictures of the ambulance corps building on Carleton Avenue, so he called authorities. FBI spokesman James Margolin said nothing suspicious turned up.

The bogus e-mail described a Middle Eastern man who was apprehended by police for taking pictures outside of Exchange Ambulance and Southside Hospital in Bay Shore. The message claims, "It seems that he was gathering information about our response capabilities in a mass casualty attack." Suffolk Police Third Squad Det. Sgt. Thomas Groneman said no such arrest was made and Einsfeld said he only saw the man from behind and couldn't tell his ethnicity. It's frustrating that a safety drill, meant to prepare emergency workers for the unimaginable, could be manipulated to stir hysteria, Einsfeld said.

"I'm shocked over how out of hand it got," he said. "It's putting fear in people that shouldn't be." William Sanderson, a psychology professor at Hofstra University who has researched anxiety and risk perception, said it's easy to see how these rumors can spread so rapidly. "This sort of feeds into something people are afraid of already," he said. "Before 9/11 if you posted something like this, it would be less believable and may not have been spread around."

This article originally appeared at: http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-literr1108,0,202550.story