The former airline employee on trial for plotting to blow up JFK airport was recorded telling an undercover government informant that he wanted to unleash a large number of rats as a diversion. "You can't expect people to drive a car and then park the car on the runway," Defreitas, 66, said in a 2007 tape made by informant Steven Francis. "We got to come up with supernatural things. Maybe get some rats. I don’t know. I just come up with wild things." Francis testified yesterday, "By him sending rats to frighten people, he thought it would distract security...create chaos," One shudders to contemplate the anarchy that would ensue if a bunch of rats were spotted in NYC?
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2023. Donate today