Guyanese Abdul Kadir, 61, and Russell Defreitas, 69, who were found guilty of conspiracy to carry out acts of terrorism in connection with a plot to bomb New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, have lost appeals of their convictions.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York on Friday declined to throw out a 2010 jury verdict against the two men, who are described as Islamic militants in a Reuters report.
“The court also upheld the life sentences for the men, both from Guyana, saying neither provided a persuasive argument the prison terms were unreasonable in light of their convictions of conspiring to explode pipelines and jet fuel tanks at the airport,” the report said.
“The gravity of the crimes for which they were convicted easily justifies the life sentences that were imposed,” Judge John Walker wrote for a three-judge panel.
Lawyers for the defendants did not comment on the ruling, the report also noted.
Defreitas, a US-based Guyanese, and former PNCR MP Kadir were sentenced to life in prison by Judge Dora Irizarry in December 2010, while a Trinidadian co-accused, Kareem Ibrahim, a Trinidadian, was also given a life sentence after he was also found guilty some time later.
Guyanese Abdel Nur and another man, Donald Nero, also pleaded guilty to participating in the plot and were sentenced to 15 years in prison.
According to Reuters, prosecutors said the conspiracy to blow up the airport began in 2005 or 2006 and much of the evidence was gathered by an informant, who was recruited into the conspiracy after meeting Defreitas, who had worked at the airport as a cargo handler.
The idea to attack Kennedy airport originated with Defreitas, according to prosecutors, who said he conducted surveillance in January 2007 and videotaped potential targets.
In a recorded telephone call, Defreitas said the attacks would be “worse than the World Trade Center,” a comparison to the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.
On appeal, Reuters said, Defreitas and Kadir challenged the use of an anonymous jury.
The appeal court panel found no fault in the district judge’s decision to allow for an anonymous jury, noting the defendants were charged in a plot that “had the potential to kill hundreds or thousands of people.”
The panel also upheld decisions to allow prosecutors to introduce photos of Kadir posing with machine guns and allowing a government expert to testify about the activities of militant Islamic groups in South America.
A separate appeal by Nur was also dismissed by the 2nd Circuit court, which said his guilty plea was “knowing and voluntary.”
