Accused leader of NY airport plot pleads innocent

NEW YORK, July 11 (Reuters) A former cargo handler at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport pleaded not guilty today to charges that he plotted to blow up the airport's fuel tanks and a supply pipeline that runs through New York City.

Russell Defreitas, 63, is accused of acting as the mastermind of the plot, which allegedly involved three other men who also have been detained. Prosecutors say the four were Islamic extremists who wanted to destroy airport facilities.

Defreitas appeared in Brooklyn federal court, clad in a blue and orange prison uniform, and addressed US Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom in a raspy, barely audible voice.

He agreed to waive his right to an immediate trial after prosecutors said the complexity of the case and the need to transcribe hundreds of hours of taped conversations would delay their preparation.

His three co-defendants -- Kareem Ibrahim of Trinidad, and Abdul Kadir and Abdel Nur, both citizens of Guyana -- face an extradition hearing in Trinidad, set for Aug. 2.

Defreitas, a US citizen and native of Guyana, was arrested in New York.

The four men are accused of plotting to blow up buildings, fuel tanks and pipelines at Kennedy Airport, which handles some 1,000 flights and more than 120,000 passengers daily.

Destruction of parts of the 40-mile (64-km) pipeline to the airport from neighboring New Jersey could have devastated large swaths of the city, authorities said.

The four men face an array of charges, including conspiracy to attack a mass transportation facility, conspiracy to destroy a public building by explosion and conspiracy to destroy international airport facilities.

They each face a potential maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.

When the plot was first disclosed in early June, authorities described it as ''chilling.'' They have since acknowledged the plan was more ''aspirational'' than operational and posed no immediate threat.

Speaking to reporters after Wednesday's court hearing, Defreitas' defense attorney Andrew Carter said: ''We're conducting our own investigation. We're extremely pleased with what we have found out so far.'' He declined to elaborate.

REUTERS RKM BST0122