‘JFK plot’ said to highlight shift in threat

‘JFK plot’ said to highlight shift in threat
By Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
Published: June 3 2007 19:29 | Last updated: June 3 2007 19:29



US law enforcement officials on Sunday said they intervened in an alleged terror plot to attack John F. Kennedy airport before the four individuals charged in the case, including a US citizen and native of Guyana, could get “close” to money or explosives.

Raymond Kelly, the New York police commissioner, said it was “difficult to say” whether the individuals could have pulled off their alleged plot to blow up the international airport’s main jet-fuel supply tanks and pipelines, or what the plan could have “morphed into”, had the individuals managed to create a partnership with a militant group.

The indictments and arrests mark the second time in recent weeks that US officials have claimed to have foiled a homegrown attack against the US, and underscores what Justice department officials said was the changing nature of the threat against the nation. Last month six suspected Islamic militants were accused of planning to attack a military base at Fort Dix in New Jersey.

The Justice department revealed the alleged conspiracy to attack the New York airport and charges against four individuals, including Russell Defreitas, a US citizen and former airport cargo worker at JFK airport, on Saturday.

Officials said that in numerous recorded conversations, which were obtained through an informant, Mr Defreitas predicted that the attack against JFK would result in the destruction of the entire airport and part of Queens, and would “destroy the economy of America” for some time.

“Anytime you hit Kennedy, it is the most hurtful thing to the United States . . . If you hit that, this whole country will be in mourning. It’s like you can kill the man twice,” he allegedly said.

Prosecutors alleged that the accused men dispatched Mr Defreitas from Guyana to conduct video and photo surveillance of JFK on four occasions in January. During the surveillance and, officials said, using his prior knowledge of the airport, Mr Defreitas identified targets and escape routes and assessed airport security.

The Justice department said the defendants sought to present their plot to radical groups in South America and the Caribbean, including senior leaders of Jamaat al Muslimeen, which was responsible for a coup attempt in Trinidad in 1990. But there were no indications yesterday that the accused had secured the help of any extremist group and officials said the individuals had no direct connection to al-Qaeda.

“They made trips back and forth to Guyana and to Trinidad. They were meeting with people, discussing a plot. So it was a manifestation of their intention to commit a terrorist act,” Mr Kelly said on Face the Nation, adding that investigators had gathered enough evidence to move ahead with a criminal prosecution.