| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: Culture Wars |
| Anti-Israeli waiter serves fear at Jewish wedding |
| 2009-01-10 |
| A waiter at a Jewish wedding who is considering converting to Islam interrupted the celebration's final prayers with recorded Arabic chants of "God is great," sparking fear among the 700 guests of a terrorist attack, Nassau police said Friday. Stephen Buttafuoco, who was fired from Morrell Caterers at Woodbury Jewish Center, had gone to a Manhattan rally opposing the Israeli campaign in Gaza a day earlier, recording protest chants on his cell phone. Following an investigation, Buttafuoco, 23, of 27 Chelsea Ave., West Babylon, was arrested Friday and charged with felony aggravated harassment, police said. A grand jury will consider whether to also charge Buttafuoco with disruption of a religious service. Neither the caterer nor the synagogue could be reached for comment. The guests couldn't at first decipher the angry-sounding chants blaring over the public address system shortly after 1 a.m. Jan. 4. "They just figured it was the children playing with the DJ's microphone," said Nassau Det. Sgt. Michael Marino. But when they heard "Allahu akbar," Arabic for "God is great," "followed by some kind of demonstration of anger," Marino said, the guests became frightened. "They thought that this could lead to some kind of terroristic act," Marino said. Buttafuoco, who will be arraigned Saturday in Hempstead, told detectives that he was trying to privately disrespect Judaism and didn't realize the recording was being played throughout the building, just in the sanctuary, where he was. He couldn't be reached for comment. Police said he was not arrested until Friday because detectives wanted to rule out terrorist connections. Police said Buttafuoco told detectives he is not related to Joey Buttafuoco, the man involved in a notorious 1990s love triangle with Amy Fisher. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #8 "Buttafuoco told detectives he is not related to Joey Buttafuoco, the man involved in a notorious 1990s love triangle with Amy Fisher." "I wanted to dis' Judaism and scare the Jooooos as part of my preparation to convert to The Religion of Peace,™ but I ain't kin to that crazy guy! I got standards!" |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2009-01-10 19:38 |
| #7 So this is the caliber of person who considers converting to Islam? I think normally they're already in jail when they convert. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2009-01-10 14:04 |
| #6 Tiny may consider him an object of his amorous advances Not if they've other Muslim in that jail. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2009-01-10 13:05 |
| #5 So this is the caliber of person who considers converting to Islam? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-01-10 11:15 |
| #4 And now his head will be cut off. Posted by: g(r)omgoru No. But felony... that means a prison term, and with name like his, it is almost guaranteed that Tiny may consider him an object of his amorous advances. |
| Posted by: Spike Uniter 2009-01-10 10:18 |
| #3 Joey and Amy's son? |
| Posted by: Glomotch Thavise2856 2009-01-10 09:01 |
| #2 Stephen Buttafuoco Joey's brother Amy Fischer got a younger sister? |
| Posted by: Beavis 2009-01-10 06:25 |
| #1 he was trying to privately disrespect Judaism And now his head will be cut off. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2009-01-10 05:59 |