Blowing Up JFK

NYTimes (06.03.07):

"Four men, including a onetime airport cargo handler and a former member of the Parliament of Guyana, were charged yesterday with plotting to blow up fuel tanks, terminal buildings and the web of fuel lines running beneath Kennedy International Airport."

4 Accused of Plot to Blow Up Facilities at Kennedy Airport

Oh my!! Al Qaeda? Islamofascists? Well, not exactly. "Mark J. Mershon, the assistant director in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation field office in New York, said all four men had 'fundamentalist Islamic beliefs of a violent nature,' although they appeared to be acting on their own and had no known connection to Al Qaeda."

Still, a very, very serious matter, right? Well, not exactly. "(T)he alleged plot was never close to fruition. The FBI had been tracking the alleged plot since 2006, and a member of the group was an FBI informant. In addition, the suspects lacked both the expertise and equipment necessary to turn their aspiration into a reality, authorities said."

How much expertise did these clowns lack? Quite a bit, it would appear. LATimes (06.03.07):

"'The level of catastrophe that may be created is much more limited than most people would expect,' said Rafi Ron, former head of security at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport. 'The fuel that we are talking about is mostly jet fuel, which, unlike the gasoline most people put into their cars, is not that susceptible to explosion.'"

Alleged plot's damage would have been limited

"'The probability that an explosion would travel through the pipeline and destroy targets along the tarmac is almost nil,' said Ron, now president of New Age Security Solutions in Rockville, Md."

Even so, Roslynn's performance was absolutely brilliant. Played it for all it was worth. LATimes (06.03.07):

"'The devastation that would be caused had this plot succeeded is unthinkable,' said U.S. Atty. Roslynn R. Mauskopf, who represents the Eastern District of New York, at a Saturday afternoon news conference in Manhattan to announce the arrests."

Arrests made in alleged plot against JFK airport

One of the most chilling plots imaginable'."

"'Had the plot been carried out, it could have resulted in unfathomable damage, deaths, and destruction.'"

And the plot's ringleader, one Russell Defreitas? NYTimes (06.03.07):

"One friend of Mr. Defreitas’s expressed shock at word that he had been arrested in a plot to attack Kennedy Airport.

The friend, Trevor Watts, 65, described Mr. Defreitas as not dangerous."

4 Accused of Plot to Blow Up Facilities at Kennedy Airport

"'He’s not that type of person,' Mr. Watts said after learning of Mr. Defreitas’s arrest. 'He’s not smart enough.'"

Ouch.