A 67-year-old airport cargo worker was sentenced to life in prison for plotting to blow up a pipeline near JFK Airport. Russell Defreitas, who was convicted last year for the 2007 plot, had been portrayed by his lawyers as "a man with a small mind, a big mouth and an ugly imagination," but ultimately harmless. The federal judge, though, found the "the offenses that were contemplated here, that the jury found Mr. Defreitas guilty of, are extremely serious."
Defreitas was allegedly upset about U.S. foreign policy, such as its support of Israel. According to the Daily News, he "hoped the attack would have devastating economic consequences for the U.S, inflict massive casualties - and batter the American psyche, which he thought harbored deep affection for former President Kennedy and the Kennedy name." Defreitas told a government informant, "It will take out the whole entire area. The whole of Kennedy will go up in smoke ...A few people might escape, but escape to where? The Jamaica Bay?"
The NY Times adds, "He declared that he wanted the attack to be “high-tech” and “ninja-style” in execution, according to the tapes. At one point, he suggested that the plotters could create a diversion by flooding the airport’s main terminal with a horde of rats." Defreitas' lawyer said that he and other conspirators were all talk, no action "Until the government got involved" with an informant.
U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch said, "Russell Defreitas plotted to commit a terrorist attack that he hoped would rival 9/11. But law enforcement detected and thwarted the plot, saving lives. Now, our courts have dispensed justice by handing out the life sentence that Defreitas richly deserves."
