Kennedy Airport Terror Plot Thwarted

[Winglets747]

This is going to make spotting much more difficult now.

OMG....I can't believe the thought pattens going on in some peoples mind! The same dam thing happened with the London plots and a few weeks later it was fine! Of course the cops are going to be up ppls ass right now bc its in the spotlight. The only places you probably will get run off is the cargo area and the Firestone parking lot. All the other locations are parks! You can do whatever you want in a park its public land.

Well said. News cameras aren't going to be driving around the Rockaways--they're going to be at JFK interviewing people who know little about the story (:arrow: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_f ... _plot.html).

These people did a bulk of their surveillance via Google Earth. I wonder if that--with the new Street View--will prompt a lot of outcry.

I particularly enjoyed (because they were so awful) the first two paragraphs from an article by the Daily News.

Four extremists hatched a plot to blow up Kennedy Airport and swaths of Queens by attacking fuel tanks and an underground petroleum pipeline - in hopes of igniting a catastrophic explosion that would eclipse 9/11, authorities said yesterday.

One of the Muslim men, Russell Defreitas, a U.S. citizen who had worked for a cargo company at the airport, boasted to an informant that "he had a vision that would make the World Trade Center attack seem small," authorities said.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_f ... nds-4.html

It says "One of the Muslim men" yet before it does not say anything about who these people are. They are just playing into the Muslim stereotype, helped along by an extreme quote. You get what you pay for. :roll:

[Nycfly75]

I worked many years (and now working again) in the energy industry and its common knowledge that an entire pipeline cannot be ignited by an explosive detonation at either endpoint of the pipeline. If they went for the tank farm, by all means they would have caused incredible damaged, but it would not have taken out the fuel lines going to the gates or the pipeline running from the airport to Linden, NJ. Even if they detonated something at the end point of the pipeline, the damaged would have been severely restricted to the area where the detonation was. Trust me, energy companies know how to protect their assets and property. The pipeline in question lies about a block north of my house, there has never been an incident involving it over the many years its been there. But trust me now, the idiotic local civic leaders will try to make issue of it, even though in reality there was no real danger to Howard Beach unless these wanna-be terrorist jerks actually detonated something in the street up the block.

On another note, if anyone wants to take pictures if the airport starts given people problems, I probably have one of the best private spotting locations near JFK.

[T-Bird76]

The big difference between this and London: this happened here.

I disagree Matt and don't see a big difference. Most of those planes targeted in London were JFK bound so JFK went on the offensive then to. We also have a tendency to become very complacent after some time has past. I don't disagree that if you went to certain places at JFK today or within the next week you're going to get targeted but three weeks from now things will go back to what they were. I don't think Schmucker will go to crazy over this if anything he'll point his ego at Google. From the sounds of it these guys didn't have knowledge based on what Vin posted to pull this off.

[AirtrafficController]

I heard over the JFK ATC between an pilot and air traffic controller discussing about the terror plot twarted and the pilot saying: :the story is you guys thwarting that terror plot"

[hiss srq]

So this morning Newsday (which I do not normally read but everyone el,se does) comes to my house and they have overhead puctures and detailed maps like you woul not beleive in there. What total morons honestly no offense Moose. But talk about giving things away sometimes.

[NcSchu]

So this morning Newsday (which I do not normally read but everyone el,se does) comes to my house and they have overhead puctures and detailed maps like you woul not beleive in there. What total morons honestly no offense Moose. But talk about giving things away sometimes.

Well it's not very difficult to get them anyway, but yeah, it sort of reminds me how news anchors love talking about battle plans in such and describing in detail military movements on TV before they happen. I mean seriously, if Al Qaeda is smart they'd be monitoring American news channels if anything.

[shamrock838]

Greetings ...

Given that in a few weeks most (all?) of this will have blown over ...

I'm wondering if using binoculars inside JFK ... say the Terminal 4 outside overlooks ... will draw unwanted attention at this time?

I hark back to my experience at this same location on Wednesday, May 9th, when I was stopped by a frantic, arm-waving TSA agent and told that using binoculars was not allowed "at this airport."

BTW ... this was just 24-36 hours after the Fort Dix episode hit the fan ... so I guess everyone at JFK was already on high alert. Visiting Terminal 4 on Saturday, May 26 ... everything seemed back to normal.

Sometimes I guess we just have to ride out the storm and wait until things calm down again.

Mike (shamrock838)

[Winglets747]

I think it's time for a member here to respond and squash this thread: http://www.airliners.net/discussions/ge ... n/3439457/

[Mateo]

Nwafan, what provision of the PATRIOT Act was used in arresting these men?

You know what I learned from this whole incident? There's a 40-mile pipeline delivering jet fuel (which is not very flammable at all) straight from Linden to JFK. Hmmph.

[nwafan20]

Nwafan, what provision of the PATRIOT Act was used in arresting these men?

You know what I learned from this whole incident? There's a 40-mile pipeline delivering jet fuel (which is not very flammable at all) straight from Linden to JFK. Hmmph.

None of us know what for sure, but I can pretty much guarantee you that some measure of the PATRIOT act was used.

PATRIOT ACT: Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001

the Act dramatically expanded the authority of U.S. law enforcement agencies for the stated purpose of fighting terrorism in the United States and abroad. Among its many provisions, the act increased the ability of law enforcement agencies to search telephone and email communications and medical, financial, and other records; eased restrictions on foreign intelligence gathering within the United States; expanded the Secretary of the Treasury’s authority to regulate financial transactions, particularly those involving foreign individuals and entities; and enhanced the discretion of law enforcement and immigration authorities in detaining and deporting immigrants suspected of terrorism. The act also expanded the definition of terrorism to include “domestic terrorism,” thus enlarging the number of activities to which the Patriot Act’s expanded law enforcement powers can be applied.

[NcSchu]

It might not have played as important a role. From what I've read and heard it seems like law enforcement attempts to get closer to and more friendly with the Muslim communities around NYC helped the most.

[Nycfly75]

It might not have played as important a role. From what I've read and heard it seems like law enforcement attempts to get closer to and more friendly with the Muslim communities around NYC helped the most.

Being friendlier with the respective communities and entities where potential suspects may exist is probably one of the more useful tools in intelligence gathering these days.... ;)

[FlyingColors]

I was going to comment, but instead I'll just quote Ron White...

"Next time you have a thought-- just let it go"

[USAF Pilot 07]

I'm not so sure the Patriot Act had much of a role in all of this...

Sounds like they used some drug-dealer informant to collar these guys...

[Matt Molnar]

From the sounds of it these guys didn't have knowledge based on what Vin posted to pull this off.

You're absolutely right, but pols exploit whatever is being hyped up in the media regardless of the actual threat. What these guys sought to do was impossible, and they didn't have the resources to even attempt it anyway. We should be far more worried about car bombs in Midtown and suicide bombers on subways, but instead they will put airport security under the microscope again.

On the bright side, you're probably right about Google. Looky here:

And the indictment here: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/ye ... ogle2.html