TSA Provides Information on Foiled Plot to Bomb JFK Airport
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has posted information about the arrests made over the weekend in which four individuals were charged in a foiled terrorist plot to attack John F. Kennedy Airport. The U.S. Department of Justice charged four men on June 2 with conspiring to attack the New York airport by planting explosives to blow up its major jet-fuel supply tanks and pipeline. The defendants include a former member of the parliament of Guyana and a former airport cargo worker at the airport.
According to TSA, for more than a year, there has been a tightly coordinated effort led by the FBI that also involved law enforcement, the intelligence community, Department of Homeland Security components including TSA and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as well as international partners. Within TSA, the office of Law Enforcement/Federal Air Marshal Service, Intelligence and Security Operations were actively involved.
The plot included destroying fuel tanks and fuel pipelines at JFK airport. While the plot was credible with an intent to commit acts of violence, it was not yet fully operational. TSA says there is no credible intelligence to suggest an imminent threat to the homeland at this time, and there are no adjustments to TSA's security posture being made as a result of this plot.
For more information on the plot and law enforcement actions, visit www.tsa.gov or read DOJ's press release at http://newyork.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel07/plot060207.pdf.