JFK Airport Plot Traced to Caribbean

Jun 03, 11:07 AM

Current Headlines: A plot to blow up New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport illustrates the ability of Islamic extremists to infiltrate the United States, said federal agents.

Terrorism suspect Russell Defreitas allegedly tapped into a network of Islamic extremists in the Caribbean -- in the backyard of the United States, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.

Defreitas' alleged ties to extremists in Trinidad and Guyana were monitored by U.S. federal agents for the last 18 months, the Times reported. Defreitas was arrested Friday in Brooklyn for allegedly plotting to blow up fuel lines at JFK airport.

Federal agents said several militants involved in the plot remain at large and are extremely dangerous. The case demonstrates the evolving nature of terrorism, said an unnamed federal security agent.

It shows that the threat can come from anywhere, he said. It is not just limited to the Middle East or South Asia.