June 3, 2007
Airport Terror Plot Detailed
Law enforcement officials held a press conference Saturday to outline the details of the thwarted terror plot directed against JFK airport. The group of four men, three of whom were arrested yesterday, were planning on exploding the pipeline that carries aviation fuel to JFK. Their hope was that it would set off a chain reaction along the length of the pipeline, which is 40 miles long and runs through several residential neighborhoods, in a bid to kill thousands of people. They also wanted to plant explosives aboard an aircraft and in or near one of JFK's terminals.
One of the plotters lived in Brownsville, Brooklyn and neighbors described him to WABC as an older gentlemen who always dressed in robes like the one he was wearing when arrested. The FBI recorded him claiming that as a former baggage handler, he had unrestricted access to JFK's facilities. He apparently surveilled his potential target four times.
Officials are claiming that the successful execution of the plot would have resulted in the deaths of thousands of New Yorkers. The Daily News, however, writes that the owner of the pipeline and various security experts were doubtful that the plan could have been pulled off. While not willing to discuss the details, they said that there were definite precautions installed in the pipeline that would restrict the chain reaction these terrorists were plotting. And while some might be cyncical regarding the seriousness of the arrests, if the FBI said we caught some guys who were planning on simultaneously hijacking four commercial jets and then flying them into the Pentagon and the Twin Towers, causing them to fall, our first reaction would be "Yeah right, like that could ever happen."
Photograph of JFK Airport's storage field by Seth Wenig/AP
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Foiled-internationally-televised-half-baked-terrorist-strike-plan fatigue.
>>And while some might be cyncical regarding the seriousness
>>of the arrests, if the FBI said we caught some guys who were
>>planning on simultaneously hijacking four commercial jets
>>and then flying them into the Pentagon and the Twin Towers,
>>causing them to fall, our first reaction would be "Yeah right,
>>like that could ever happen."
This is a mind-numbingly retarded argument. In six years the FBI have yet to uncover even one even remotely meaningful, let alone executable, plot by anyone. Every single "plot" they have "broken up" turned out to be absolutely nothing and some situation in which not a soul was ever in any danger whatsoever or ever would have been in any danger. They have absolutely nothing to show for their "war" on "terror."
You know how you will know when the FBI is telling the truth about the magnitude and seriousness of some plot? It will be after it has been successfully and spectacularly executed right under the FBI's nose and they are scrambling to find someone to blame for yet another catastrophic failure.
The FBI is the Zimbabwe of law enforcement agencies. The fucking Forestry Service does more to protect Americans day after day than the FBI ever did.
if the FBI said we caught some guys who were planning on simultaneously hijacking four commercial jets and then flying them into the Pentagon and the Twin Towers, causing them to fall, our first reaction would be "Yeah right, like that could ever happen."
Apparently that was the administration's first reaction, too.
add me to your cynical list, dh.
remember these words, I'm from the government and I'm here to help.
I have noticed PC ray kelly looked mighty chipper in the press conference, he was not looking well recently.
You know, with the proposed helicopter ban, regular people won't be able to take photos like this in the near future. (Since you're also not supposed to have your camera on during takeoff and landing in a plane...)
Seems the Trinadadian radical muslim group they were trying to hook up with didn't take them seriously, so why should we?
This is the FBI's/government's effort to show they are doing something and are productive...though meanwhile a guy with a serious case of TB manages to sneak across the border, although he was most definitely 'red flagged'. The announcement of these arrests is the government's effort to take the public's attention off of the TB guy getting into the U.S. undetected.
Here's hoping all you armchair analysts with no idea how law enforcement really operates are within the blast radius of a suicide bomber in the near future.
re: Their hope was that it would set off a chain reaction along the length of the pipeline, which is 40 miles long and runs through several residential neighborhoods, in a bid to kill thousands of people.
One of the plotters (Kadir) actually said in the tapes that their main goal was economic devastation and that they should minimize the death of innocent men and women.
I find it weird that news about this was released on a Saturday which is a time when news usually get buried and ignored.
"Annoyed"must be a Bush-loving Republican...and he's annoyed that we didn't believe all the pre-reelection terrorist warnings and manufactured color coded alerts...
Funny...we haven't had one of those since Bush was re-elected.
And 'Annoyed', I was a flight attendant based in JFK and also Newark for many, many years. I have been trained by two airlines, one of which was the most targeted-by terrorists airline in history. The other airline I worked for lost two airplanes full of crew and passengers on 9/11. I am far more aware of what goes on than you security and threat wise than you...I just don't believe the government propaganda crap like you do. Some plots are scary, like the one the Brits uncovered. This one is not. And you're a jerk and a fool.
Actually, I'm a moderate liberal, but nice try. And here's a tip, when you're trying to convince someone in law enforcement of your knowledge of terrorism analysis and tactics, using the fact that you're a flight attendant doesn't help. If you were asked the difference between Planters and Emerald peanut packs, maybe. Counter-terrorism analysis and tactics? Not so much.