PanARMENIAN.Net
Terror plot foiled at JFK airport
04.06.2007 14:05 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Four men have been charged and three arrested with
conspiring to blow up jet fuel supply tanks and pipelines at John
F. Kennedy International Airport.
Homeland Security sources said there is no current threat at the
airport and the attack as planned was "not technically feasible."
The alleged plot did not target airplane flights, officials said.
The alleged plotters targeted the airport because of the popularity
its namesake, John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963.
"Anytime you hit Kennedy, it is the most hurtful thing to the United
States. To hit John F. Kennedy, wow … they love JFK – he’s like the
man," former JFK airport cargo worker Russell Defreitas allegedly said
in a telephone conversation monitored by the FBI.
"If you hit that, this whole country will be in mourning. It’s like
you can kill the man twice," Defreitas allegedly added.
At a Justice Department news conference Saturday afternoon, the
plotters were described as "a determined group" whose signature was
persistence.
A law enforcement source told CNN Saturday evening that the idea for
the plot allegedly came from Defreitas, who also apparently recruited
the other men. Those three supposedly directed the effort.
Defreitas, 63, a native of Guyana who has been a U.S. citizen since
the 1960s, was arrested in Brooklyn, New York, according to the
Justice Department. He was arraigned Saturday in federal court in New
York.
Abdul Kadir of Guyana, a former member of the Guyana parliament, and
Kareem Ibrahim of Trinidad, are in custody in Trinidad. The United
States will seek their extradition.
The fourth suspect, Abdel Nur of Guyana, is being sought.
Defreitas was once a contractor for the aviation company Evergreen
Eagle, a law enforcement official told CNN. James Nelson, a company
spokesman, said the firm is cooperating with authorities, but declined
to provide further information.
Defreitas identified targets and escape routes and assessed airport
security, the complaint alleges. Officials said the "defendants
obtained satellite photographs of JFK airport and its facilities from
the Internet and traveled frequently among the United States, Guyana
and Trinidad to discuss their plans and solicit the financial and
technical assistance of others."
Suspects compared the plot with 9/11 in wiretapped remarks, CNN
reports.