Astoria resident Mohamed Moudjed was driving his limousine around John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport on Saturday, June 2 when news of the potential terror plot to blow up a pipeline that would cause massive devastation in Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island began to unfold.
Moudjed described his initial reaction as “shocked,” which quickly turned to worry as he recalled that his 14-year-old son Wael Moudjed was supposed to fly to Algeria to visit family from that same airport two days later.
However, as news began to spread throughout the airport and information continued to come in that authorities foiled the plot in its planning stages, Mohamed said he did not notice an increased level of panic around the airport.
Two days later, as he waited with his son at JFK’s terminal 1 to board his flight, Mohamed seemed very calm.
“No, we are not really nervous,” said Mohamed Moudjed. “We are quite confident in the air safety.”
Meanwhile, his son, who attends P.S. 71, said the recent threat did not worry him, and he pointed to the other passengers waiting for flights, saying that others did not seem on edge either.
“I don’t think everyone feels scared,” Wael said right before boarding his flight. “They all look comfortable.”
Just days earlier, authorities charged four individuals, including Russell Defreitas, a U.S. citizen from Guyana who previously worked for a cargo company at JFK, with attempting to blow up fuel tanks and an underground petroleum pipeline known as the Buckeye Pipeline that he hoped would cause grave destruction.
“Even the Twin Towers can’t touch it,” Defreitas said in recorded conversations obtained by authorities. “This can destroy the economy of America for some time.”
According to the complaint, Defreitas, the alleged mastermind of the plot, conducted video and photo surveillance of JFK Airport on four occasions in January 2007 identifying targets, escape routes and airport security.
In addition to Defreitas, authorities arrested two other co-conspirators in Trinidad - Abdul Kadir, a citizen of Guyana who has served as a member of the Guyanese Parliament, and Kareem Ibrahim, a citizen of Trinidad.
The two appeared in a Trinidad and Tobago court on Monday, June 4, and their lawyers announced they would appeal extradition to the United States.
A fourth defendant, Abdel Nur, is a citizen of Guyana, surrendered to authorities in Trinidad on Tuesday, June 5.
“The defendants are charged with conspiring to bomb one of the busiest airports in the United States, located in one of the most densely populated areas in the northeast. Had the plot been carried out, it could have resulted in unfathomable damage, deaths and destruction,” U.S. Attorney Roslynn R. Mauskopf said.
Authorities began tracking the defendants back in January of 2006 after a CIA agent received information about the beginning of a potential terror group.
According to recorded conversations between the co-conspirators, authorities said that Defreitas targeted JFK Airport because of its economic prowess and symbolism to America.
“They [Americans] loved John F. Kennedy like he’s the man. If you hit that, the whole country will be in mourning. It’s like you can kill the man twice,” Defrietas said in recorded conversations.
Although details of the alleged plot continue to emerge, travelers continued to flock to JFK for their flights on Monday.
Andrea Spissinger, a former Flushing resident who moved to Florida two years ago, was stuck at JFK after the airline cancelled her flight back to Florida because of the severe weather.
“I figured it was just a matter of time before something else happened,” she said, referring to the recently foiled terror plot. Her four-day trip to New York was the first time back to her home state since moving south, and said she will continue to fly.
“As safe as you can,” she responded to a question about her safety. “I have felt safe flying since 9/11. Of course, I do it anyway because it’s fast and convenient, but in the back of your mind, you’re always wondering if something is going to happen.”
Queens Village resident Natalie Sepulveda, 21, had flown to North Carolina for a wedding the day before details of the terror plot began to emerge and flew back to JFK Monday without noticing an increase in security.
“It’s the same as normal, same as it always is,” she said.
Others expressed some concern about the lack of screening for employees that work at the airport in light of Defreitas’ history of working at JFK giving him inside information about the airport.
“It’s always threatening, but overall we have it covered,” said 20-year-old Floral Park resident Jagjit Kaur, who said she never underwent any screening for her job as a promotional demonstrator at the Duty Free Shop at JFK. “You live in a place like this, you have to get used to it.”
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown praised all of the different law enforcement agencies and authorities who worked together to foil this plot.
“These arrests are another example of how it is that federal, state and local law enforcement work together to protect our citizens from those who seek to do our country harm,” he said. “And, they underscore the fact that local law enforcement has an important role to play in the fight against terrorism.”
Residents worry about terror-targeted pipeline
BY PETE DAVIS, CHRISTINA SANTUCCI and TRACY SOREN
Walking along 157th Avenue and Cross Bay Boulevard, Howard Beach resident Joan Bisciello always noticed the orange pipes with a yellow label and black lettering that read: WARNING PETROLEUM PIPELINE. However, she never really knew what it was, until this weekend.
The Buckeye Pipeline, which distributes fuel and petroleum products to locations in Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and other areas to the north and west, became the target of a foiled terror plot to detonate explosives at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and the pipeline, causing devastation in south Queens.
“I was very frightened and very upset when I heard about it,” said Bisciello, who has lived in Howard Beach for the past 30 years. “It’s very scary and makes you feel very suspicious of everyone.”
After monitoring the group’s activities for more than a year, authorities charged four individuals including the alleged mastermind Russell Defreitas, a U.S. citizen from Guyana who previously worked for a cargo company at JFK, in the terror plot.
U.S. Attorney Roslynn R. Mauskopf announced the charges on Saturday, June 2, but days after the announcement, southeast Queens residents still appeared shaken that the terror plot was so close to home.
“I think it was awful that they put the actual map of the pipeline in the paper,” said Stacy Ricci, 38, who lives in Howard Beach. “Now, everybody knows where it is if they want to blow it up.”
The pipeline crosses from Lindenwood southeast to 157th Avenue, over Cross Bay Boulevard, to the other side of Howard Beach, and ends at JFK Airport, according to Councilmember Joseph Addabbo.
He went on to say that along this span are two senior centers, P.S. 232, St. Helen School, the Rockwood Park Jewish Center, P.S. 207, Our Lady of Grace School, P.S. 146 and a day care center.
Howard Beach resident Helen Stepniewski, 80, who moved into her home on 97th Street and 156th Avenue nearly 50 years ago, said she remembered when work crews began tearing up the street decades later.
“When they were ripping up the street and replacing the old lines, we assumed it was the gas going into the houses. We had no idea,” she said, referring to the installation of the Buckeye pipeline to carry fuel to JFK Airport. “After they were done, we saw those signs …That’s what really bothered us.”
However, some residents said there was no use worrying and expressed confidence in the authorities.
“I think they [the authorities] have it under control,” said South Ozone Park resident and mother of three children Shashi Molina. “I feel safe with the police taking care of things. They got it [the plot] on time.”
Meanwhile, City Councilmember Leroy Comrie, who represents portions of southeast Queens, said the most recent exploits should serve as a reminder for elected officials when considering how to distribute security funds.
“This incident clearly underscores the fact that New York City remains a prominent target for potential terror strikes,” Comrie said. “It is why our federal government must continue to provide substantial homeland security funding for New York City and other high-risk areas.”
