Miami dentist Dr. Ahmed ElKoussa was promoting peace in video of him removing Israeli flyers
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Dr. Ahmed ElKoussa, the dentist fired after he was caught on camera tearing down “Kidnapped” Israeli posters, says he was promoting peace when removing the flyers.
NBC Miami
The fired South Florida dentist who was caught on camera removing missing Israeli hostage posters off street poles across Miami claims his actions were “misinterpreted” and that he was instead promoting peace.
Dr. Ahmed ElKoussa’s actions were made public after the Stop Antisemitism organization posted a video that showed the dentist and another man tear down flyers of missing Israeli citizens believed to have been kidnapped following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas terrorists.
ElKoussa said his actions were being taken out of context because the clip, which has been viewed more than four million times, was so short.
“Unfortunately my video of four seconds got taken way out of context. It was all misinterpretation, and I think it’s really sad that it was misinterpreted,” ElKoussa said at a press conference Thursday.
“As well as the way that my former employer had portrayed it, that it’s an act of supporting terrorism,” he said. “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.”
ElKoussa was immediately fired from his position at the Miami-based cosmetic dental group, CG Smile.
“We told the doctor, listen we’re terminating you, we don’t want to have to deal with any of this,” Juan Carlos Izquierdo, owner of the CG Smile told NBC Miami. “I believe it’s not right. It’s against our position on the entire situation.”
Izquierdo claimed ElKoussa called back later looking to explain himself hoping to get his job back.
“Later on, I got a call saying he wanted to explain and that after he explained, everything would be cleared, and I told him I don’t want to hear it,” Izquierdo recalled.
ElKoussa’s lawyer says he and his client have been receiving death threats since the video went viral.
“The death threats that he has received, the death threats that I have received, since, those are unacceptable,” Hassan Shibly, ElKoussa’s representative and lead attorney at Muslim Legal said at the press conference.
Following the incident, CG Smile released two statements on Instagram, one condemning the Hamas terror attacks on Israel, and another announcing ElKoussa was no longer with the clinic.
“His personal opinion was that posters from either side may potentially incite conflict and he did not want there to be any conflict escalation in his local community,” Shibly told The Post Wednesday.
“And he was concerned that those posters could potentially trigger conflict — rightfully or wrongfully, he was concerned that they would trigger and escalate conflict.”
ElKoussa said he brought his concerns about the flyers to the local police and was told to either put up his own counter-posters or remove the current ones.
He said his actions were motivated after a 71-year-old Illinois landlord fatally stabbed a 6-year-old Muslim boy following the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel.
A Citibank employee was also fired this week after she posted “revolting” comments about Israel on Instagram.
Nozima Husainova was terminated as a personal banker following her remarks saying “No wonder why Hitler wanted to get rid of all of them.”
