Jun 5, 2007 6:25 pm US/Eastern
Expert: JFK Terror Arrests Came Way Too Soon
Conspirators Could Have Led Investigators To Other Terror Cells
by Scott Weinberger
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
-
-
Terrorists wanted to blow up a jet fuel artery that runs through populous residential neighborhoods.
AP
-
-
Russell Defreitas, 63, is shown inside the Lindenwood Diner having dinner with a government informant, a man he believed would help plan an attack that would cripple Kennedy Airport and the surrounding neighborhoods.
CBS
-
-
Russell "Mohammed" Defreitas (file)
CBS/Jane Rosenberg
-
-
Four Muslim men were foiled from carrying out a plot to destroy John F. Kennedy International Airport.
AP
While federal agents are being applauded for foiling the plot to blow up a fuel artery below JFK Airport, some experts say perhaps officials should have waited even longer before making the arrests.
Abdul Nur, the fourth man accused of being a co-conspirator in the plot, turned himself in to Trinidadian police on Tuesday. The three other suspects, including the alleged mastermind, Russell Defreitas, who was arrested outside of a Brooklyn diner Friday night, are all in police custody.
But should the investigation been drawn out even further? Terrorism expert Richard Miniter tells CBS 2 HD that had officials held out in making the arrests, they may have stumbled upon even larger terrorist cells, especially since officials now admit Nur met with the leader of radical Islamic group Jamaat al Muslimeen to seek support for the JFK plot.
"It's really unfortunate these arrests came when they did because this terror cell was bringing in experts from overseas. Who those experts were, what they were up to, what skills they had, what plots they had, [it] would have been great to have those people in U.S. custody," Miniter said.
Though Miniter agrees arresting the group was a priority, he wonders if other terror plots would have been uncovered had officials waited to make the arrests.
"Yes, we stopped the plot, but we could have stopped dozens of plots by taking custody of these experts which we don't even know who they are," Miniter said.
A source close to this investigation tells CBS 2 HD Investigative Reporter Scott Weinberger that agents decided to move on the suspects after it was discovered that the alleged mastermind, Russell Defreitas, was planning to leave the country. At that stage in the investigation, fishing for other potential suspects took a back seat.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Dozens Forced From Homes After Raging Bronx Fire 
CBS 2 Preview: Back From The Dead 1 hr 35 mins ago 
Stumble It!
Comments