People gather around a tent Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009 on a property known as Seven Springs estate owned by real estate magnate Donald Trump in Bedford, N.Y. The Libyan government has pitched a tent on the property that leader Moammar Gadhafi may use for entertaining, according to a State Department official. Gadhafi is due to address the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.
Alleged Libya embassy staffs setting up the tent in Trump owned land. According to Trump's company the land was leased to a middle east partner. Further comments were not given from Trump association.
The entrance to Seven Springs LLC, in Bedford, N.Y., a property owned by real estate magnate Donald Trump, is quiet Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009, north of New York City. A tent has been erected on the site for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi after the property was rented for the visiting head of state. Gadhafi is due to address the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.
Alleged Libya staffs setup illegal tent for Qaddafi. Town spokeman said Qaddafi is not welcome.
Did The Donald and the dictator made a backdoor deal? If so, the plan to pitch a tent in this suburb for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi went south pretty fast. Maybe someone should be fired.
A tent erected by the Libyan government on Donald Trump's estate in Bedford was dismantled Wednesday, and both Trump and the Secret Service said Gadhafi wasn't coming.
For Gadhafi, it was just another failed attempt to find a place to spend time during the UN General Assembly — after his requests for space in Central Park, Englewood, N.J., and Manhattan's Upper East Side were all rejected.
Long unpopular in America, the Libyan leader is now particularly unwelcome after he gave an effusive welcome-home reception for Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of the bombing Pan Am Flight 103. Al-Megrahi was recently freed from prison because he's dying of prostate cancer.
The Libyan-owned estate in New Jersey was vandalized late Wednesday, Englewood mayor Michael Wildes said. Flammable debris was left on the driveway."We have business partners and associates all over the world," it said. "The property was leased on a short-term basis to Middle Eastern partners, who may or may not have a relationship to Mr. Gadhafi. We are looking into the matter."
Rhona Graff, a Trump vice president, said Wednesday she had nothing to add about the deal.
"It's a very sensitive, very delicate matter," she said. "I want to make sure I'm 100 percent correct before I get anything to you."
Bedford officials — who learned the tent had been pitched on Tuesday — grew impatient with the real estate titan. Before the tent was dismantled at about 4:45 p.m., town attorney Joel Sachs said Trump's people were not cooperating.
Sachs threatened criminal charges for violating zoning and housing laws, with financial penalties, if the tent was not taken down. Trump could pitch a tent once he obtained the necessary permits, which would take longer than Gadhafi's weeklong trip to New York.
Gadhafi, who stayed at the city's Libyan Mission after arriving Tuesday, addressed the General Assembly on Wednesday, castigating the Security Council by saying, "It should not be called the Security Council, it should be called the 'terror council.'"
Demonstrators were kept well away. Among them was Boteach, an author and frequent TV commentator.
"It's very disheartening to hear that Donald Trump has seemingly opened his doors to Gadhafi," he said.
Gadhafi tried other venues for a tent before turning to Trump's estate. The Libyan government asked to use Manhattan's Central Park for a tent, but that request was denied. And at least one real estate agent added to the resistance.
Jason Haber, a broker at Prudential Douglas Elliman, said Wednesday that Libyan representatives asked to rent an Upper East Side townhouse for a "very important person."
When he told them only part of the building was available, they said they needed the whole house and asked, "Isn't there some way we can make this work?"
"If you send Megrahi back to Scotland, I'm sure we can work something out," he responded, and they hung up.
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