A Coral Gables dentist was fired after a viral video showed him tearing down posters of kidnapped Israelis. Now, he's telling his side of the story.
Dr. Ahmed ElKoussa and another man were caught on camera taking down the flyers in Brickell on Tuesday night, and the video was quickly posted all over social media.
By Wednesday morning, ElKoussa had been fired by his employer, CG Smile.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
On Thursday, ElKoussa spoke to reporters alongside his attorney Hassan Shibly to explain that he feels the video was widely misinterpreted.
"Unfortunately my video of four seconds got taken way out of context as well as the way that my former employer had portrayed it, that it's an act of supporting terrorism," ElKoussa told reporters Thursday. "It's the very very very contrary, it's to promote peace, it's to deescalate the situation that we're going through and make sure that our communities are safe."
The fliers are part of a nationwide project by Israeli artists that show photos of missing civilians in Israel who have been kidnapped by the Hamas terrorist group after the attack on Israel nearly two weeks ago.
Local
The fliers are also posted to trees and other utility poles throughout South Florida.
ElKoussa's attorney told NBC6 that the dentist was afraid the posters would spark conflict and talked to police before taking them down.
"He wanted to ensure that there’s no conflict here in Florida. And when he saw those posters, he was just concerned that they may lead to an escalation in conflict," Shibly said. "He removed them after speaking to law enforcement, saying, 'Listen, there’s a lot of tension in the country right now. I don't think there should be pro-Palestinian or pro-Israeli posters hanging around, they may spark conflict. So what should I do?' They said, 'Listen, you can remove them if you feel unsafe.'"
In a statement Thursday, Shibly said ElKoussa's actions were done following the fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old boy in Illinois by his landlord, which authorities have alleged was a hate crime.
"Dr. ElKoussa was simply motivated by fear of copycat acts given that Investigators said the landlord had been radicalized by emotionally triggering images from the terrorist attack on Israel. That was the sole intention in removing them, and claims otherwise have no basis," the statement read.
ElKoussa has received hateful messages and death threats since the video went viral, his attorney said.
"I want to be very, very clear as my heart does go out to the Jewish and Israeli community, to those innocent lives and civilians, as well as the Palestinians," ElKoussa said. "The issue here again, it's something that they're posting the posters in Brickell, in the neighborhood where this is not occurring, in this neighborhood it's causing tension. So if anybody can help these people in any way that they can, by donating, by resources, I urge you to help them, to pray for them."
Shibly said ElKoussa didn't mean to offend anyone and that he stands for peace and unity. He said the website that posted the video incorrectly assumed ElKoussa's intentions.
"The very act of removing fliers left on the side of the road is in and of itself neither illegal nor immoral," Shibly said. "The motivation behind removing these particular fliers is where the question may be posed, and therein precisely lies the problem: the website that posted the video rushed irresponsibly, and without the slightest authority, to attribute intentions to him that he neither claims nor holds."
Shibly said he's demanding an apology and for ElKoussa to be reinstated.
"For his employer to rush to unquestioning judgment based merely on a random website’s uninformed and wildly speculative word on what is in Dr. ElKoussa’s heart over his is both outrageous and demeaning. It is indicative of the atmosphere of hysteria we are in," the statement read. "We demand an apology and reinstatement as the only path to restore his livelihood and clear his good name."
