Shuckum's Oyster Bar
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Shuckums Raw Bar & Grill is a restaurant located on Young Circle in downtown Hollywood, Florida.
The restaurant gained worldwide attention in 2001, when it was widely reported to have been one of the last places that the September 11 hijackers were seen prior to the attack, based on the testimony of its staff.
[edit] The Restaurant and the Media storm
Night manager Tony Amos and waitress Patricia Idrissi were the focus of the media's eye following the attacks.
12 hours after the attacks, FBI agents showed up at the bar, and passed around two photographs of middle eastern males they said had been aboard the aircraft. Amos and Idrissi both claimed to recognise Atta as having been a boisterous customer with a thick accent, who had been with two companions the previous Saturday (September 7). The companions were later thought to have been Marwan al-Shehhi and Abdulaziz al-Omari, the two hijackers that Atta seemed most friendly towards.
Amos' stories would later conflict, there were reports that he remembered Atta drinking Stolichnaya vodka, heavily drunk and cursing "Fuck God!" in Arabic, or that he had been mild-mannered, quietly playing arcade games on the other side of the restaurant while the other two spoke.
The Miami Herald was the first media source to note the story of the hijackers having eaten at Shuckum's, after the FBI visited the restaurant only hours after the attacks. It reported that Amos had only been able to identify Atta, and neither of his companions.[1]
The Los Angeles Times said that Amos reported Atta had drinken only Cranberry juice while playing arcade games, and only the other two companions had been drinking.
The Daily Telegraph reported that it was September 7, and that Amos reported both a waitress and a bartender identifying Atta and Marwan from passport photographs provided by the FBI, and said they were "heavy drinkers", and that Atta had disputed the $48 bill before retorting Of course I can pay the bill, I'm an airline pilot.[2]
The Palm Beach Post didn't provide a date, but said that the men entered the restaurant already drunk, and that Idrissi had initially directed the men to a Chinese restaurant, but they returned to Shuckum's and Amos reported having argued with Atta over the bill, before Atta told Idrissi I'm a pilot for American Airlines and I can pay my bill, before handing him a $100 bill, and leaving a $3 tip.[3]
The Australian ABC ran a video interview of Amos by Liz Jackson, in which Amos was quoted as saying that Atta had not been drinking at all, and wasn't even sitting with Marwan and the other man, although he would occasionally walk over to their table to whisper something in their ear. He was reportedly at the other end of the restaurant, playing arcade games for 4 hours.
The Washington Post reported that Amos had told them Atta and Marwan had been arguing, and while Marwan was visibly upset, Atta went and played arcade versions of Blackjack and Trivial Pursuit in the bar. Amos also specified that it was Captain Morgan Rum that Marwan had been drinking.[4]
Newsweek did not report a date, but said that Atta and two companions had been drinking heavily at Shuckum's, and that one of the group members shouted an Arabic curse translating to "Fuck God", and one of the group members told the waitress that 'I work for American Airlines. I’m a pilot,what makes you think I’d have a problem paying the bill?
Time Magazine said that Amos had claimed it was September 8, and that Atta had 5 screwdrivers and Marwan had 5 rum and cokes, and that Atta had argued over the bill before pulling out a wad of several hundred dollars from his wallet saying "No, I have plenty of money. I'm a pilot., and left a $3 tip.[5]
The Guardian reported that it was on the 7th, and that it was not Atta who had gone off to play arcade games, but the third unidentified man. Atta and Marwan drank their alcoholic drinks, and that Atta argued with Amos about the amount of the bill, before screaming You think I can't pay my bill? I am a pilot for American Airlines. I can pay my fucking bill. Agreeing with the story of a large wad of bills, the Guardian reported only a $2 tip.[6]
While the reports differ, the most common seems to be that Atta and his two companions had been at the restaurant from 3-6pm on September 7. The media varyingly reported Shuckums as being a restaurant, a sports bar or even a strip club.
