Focus Turns Towards Airport Employees, Other Terrorist Groups

Although some officials claim the plan revealed this weekend to blow up buildings, fuel tanks, and pipelines at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport -- which handles 1,000 flights and more than 120,000 passengers daily -- was unlikely to succeed, security concerns have been raised about airport employees and non-Al Qaeda cells in the US, reported NY1.

The 40-mile long pipeline the group targeted carries jet fuel from New Jersey and through the boroughs of Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Queens; fuel tanks at JFK hold up to 32 million gallons of jet fuel.

Experts cast severe doubt on the practicalities of the plot. JFK airport, like many other airports around the world, is fed by a series of pipelines that supply jet fuel and heating oil. In many cases the pipes are beneath the tarmac, and are laid directly to the gates where planes park.

Officials stressed that sabotaging part of that system would be highly unlikely to lead to the kind of chain-reaction explosion the terrorists sought. Additionally, jet fuel does not produce an explosive force unless it is under pressure or vaporized; pipelines and tanks have safety valves to contain any mishap, reported The Age (AU).

Although one law enforcement official, speaking to The New York Times, played down Russell Defreitas' ability to carry out an attack -- calling him "a sad sack" and "not a Grade A terrorist" -- the official said the New Jersey plotters "were a bit further along" than the plot in which a group of men was arrested last month on charges of planning to attack soldiers at Fort Dix in New Jersey.

However, the official admitted Defreitas' efforts to enlist Jamaat al-Muslimeen's aid could have had devastating consequences.

Abdul Kadir and Abdel Nur were said to be associates of Trinidadian radical Muslim group Jamaat al Muslimeen, which launched an unsuccessful rebellion in 1990 that left 24 dead.

In a recorded conversation, Kadir, an engineer by training, explained to his alleged co-conspirators that the fuel tanks would require two explosions, which suggested they had some technical expertise. The indictment alleges that Kareem Ibrahim was planning to send "an emissary" overseas to present the plan to other extremists for their support.

According to media sources, Defreitas, a US citizen, developed his hatred for America a decade ago while working as a cargo handler at JFK, where he saw military parts being shipped to Israel that he thought would be used to kill Muslims.

Defreitas was recorded saying he "wanted to do something to get those bastards" and he boasted that he had been taught to make bombs in Guyana. Despite their efforts, the men never obtained any explosives, authorities said.

Defreitas allegedly used his knowledge of airport operations to identify targets and escape routes and assess airport security, while also using satellite photographs of the airport downloaded from the Internet.

Meanwhile, an unnamed passenger at JFK had this to say: "They have really cracked down on passengers, but now who thinks about the employees going in to do this work?"

"You have to continue to do what you have to do, everyday in your life," said another. "If you stop because something's happening and you be so afraid to get out of your house, you're not going to live your life. So you keep on going and enjoy it."

The Port Authority released a statement saying in part, "...we continue to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the safety of our airports and airport customers."

FMI: www.panynj.gov, www.fbi.gov, www.dhs.gov