Men Deny Airport Bomb Plot At New York's JFK
Three Caribbean men have denied plotting to plant a bomb at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The men, all Muslim, were extradited from Trinidad where had they spent a spent more than 12 months fighting an extradition order against them from the US government.
Kareem Ibrahim, Abdel Nur and Abdul Kadir are alleged to have plotted to "cause greater destruction than in the September 11 attacks" by destroying JFK Airport and parts of Queens, a New York City suburb.
The men were charged with conspiring to attack a public transportation system, and conspiring to destroy a building by fire or explosives. They have been ordered to be detained without bail. They will attend a hearing at a federal court in Brooklyn on 7th August.
A fourth man, US citizen Russell Defreitas - a retired cargo handler at JFK - is also being held in custody in New York. He is accused of conspiracy in the alleged JFK airport bomb plot.
All four men have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
JFK Terrorist Plot
The prosecution and FBI allege the four men plotted to plant explosives in the fuel pipelines at JFK in a bid to destroy the airport and the Queen's neighbourhood, under which JFK fuel pipelines run.
The men were arrested in Trindad in June 2007 after the FBI called a news conference to say that had foiled a major terrorist plot on JFK and the surrounding New York neighbourhood.
Since that time the men have continually protested their innocence. Abdul Kadir is a former member of the government of Guyana. Kadir and Nur are both from Guyana, while Ibrahim is from Trindad.
In a confidential document seen by the Los Angeles Times, federal officials alledge that the four men conducted extensive surveillance of the airport using photographs, video and satellite images downloaded from the internet. Furthermore, the document says, the men also bragged about plotting the attack.
Ibrahim's defence lawyer Michael Hueston said that despite the case's high profile the men should be considered innocent until proved guilty.
He said: "There shouldn't be a rush to judgment about this case. I think, unfortunately, that people get tried in the press too often in these cases".
The men will be appearing in court in Brooklyn on 7th August.
Source - Airport International's US Correspondent
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