Two convicted in JFK fuel plot

NEW YORK – Two men were convicted Monday of plotting to blow up jet fuel tanks at John F. Kennedy International Airport, a plan that authorities said was meant to outdo the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and avenge perceived U.S. oppression of Muslims around the world.

Russell Defreitas, a former JFK cargo handler, and Abdul Kadir, once a member of Guyana’s parliament, were convicted of multiple conspiracy charges. Kadir was acquitted of one charge, surveillance of mass transportation. The Brooklyn federal court jury deliberated about five days.

Defreitas, a 66-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen from Guyana, and Kadir, 58, were arrested in 2007 after an informant infiltrated the plot and recorded them discussing it.

Prosecutors alleged that Defreitas and Kadir wanted to kill thousands of people and cripple the American economy by using explosives to blow up the fuel tanks and the underground pipelines that run through an adjacent Queens neighborhood. Authorities say the men sought the help of militant Muslims, including an al-Qaida operative, in Guyana.

The defendants wanted to set off an explosion “so massive … that it could be seen from far, far away,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Zainab Ahmad said in closing arguments. Their vision prompted them to code name the plot “The Shining Light,” the prosecutor said.

During the trial, their lawyers described the two men as clueless trash-talkers who were led astray by the informant, a convicted drug dealer.

“There’s more than just the evidence Mr. Kadir was coming up against,” said attorney Kafahni Nkrumah. “There’s the atmosphere of fear in the country … of Muslims, Islam and fear of terrorists, especially in New York City.”

Defreitas’ attorney Mildred Whalen said there wouldn’t have been a case without the government’s intervention. “I think it was clear these guys couldn’t act on their own … and didn’t act on their own.”