 A Jewish newcomer to Sana'a named Yosef Abdallah ("the servant of God") declared himself to be the herald of the coming Messiah and made his living by selling amulets and poultices.He lured simple and unsuspecting persons by his words of deliverance and by his prophylactic talismans, and the leaders of the community suspected him of being an impostor and one who harbored impure motives, and he was further suspected of revelry and of lechery with women; the leaders also feared that he would bring harm to the community by a perceived threat to the government.Rabbi Hibshush closely watched him and had his house placed on surveillance.