Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
JFK Bomb Suspect Unimpressed by Female Fuel Tank Guard
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 7, 2010
Modified Jul 7, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 7, 2010
Modified Jul 7, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A convicted drug trafficker the government recruited to infiltrate a ragtag terror cell testified in court yesterday against Russell Defreitas, a former JFK baggage handler who's accused of plotting to blow up the airport. Defreitas was allegedly pitching his plot (which he named "The Shining") to "terrorist big shots" in Guyana and Trinidad, and believed that the fuel tanks at JFK were an irresistibly easy target. Yesterday prosecutors played one tape secretly recorded by the informant in 2007, during which Defreitas chillingly brags:
For years, I've been watching [the fuel tanks]. You can't believe how a place like Kennedy can be so (lax). No soldier. Nothing at all... The tanks ain't got one person...No soldier, nothing at all! Regular security driving a little, little jeep. And even to put a woman inside there.
The plot never got off the ground before Defreitas and his alleged co-conspirators were arrested, but according to one tape, Defreitas believed "[A bombing] will take out the whole area, the whole of Kennedy would go up in smoke. A few people would escape, but to where? Jamaica Bay?"
Tagged
airport bombing
jfk airport
jfk bombing
terror
trial
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Forest Hills Stadium can keep its concerts under deal with neighbors
Neighbors had complained of traffic and loud concerts for years.
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 22, 2026 at 2:49 p.m. ET
NYC Council to grill Mamdani officials on collapsed Hunts Point Produce Market deal
Council Speaker Julie Menin called the $650 million plan "mission critical."
By
Elizabeth Kim
News
NYC Council to grill Mamdani officials on collapsed Hunts Point Produce Market deal
Council Speaker Julie Menin called the $650 million plan "mission critical."
By
Elizabeth Kim
NYPD arrests 17-year-old in fatal Midtown subway platform shooting
By
Charles Lane
Ex-Adams aide accused of pocketing kickbacks from community program funds
By
Samantha Max
MTA to begin 6-year project to upgrade signal tech on A and C lines in Brooklyn and Queens
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .