Ross Sheil, Staff Reporter

Terror suspect Abdul Kadir.

New York Police Chief Raymond Kelly is warning of an increasing terrorism threat from the Caribbean after four men - three originally from Guyana and one from Trinidad and Tobago - were named in an alleged plot to blow up the John F. Kennedy International Airport in the financial capital of the United States.

Three of the four suspects, who include a former cargo handler at the airport, were arrested on the weekend while the fourth, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is being sought in Trinidad.

Although there was no link to the global terror group al-Qaida, investigators said at least two of the suspects were linked to the Jamaat al-Muslimeen (JAM), the Islamic extremist group in Trinidad which attempted to overthrow the twin-island republic's government in 1990.

In a separate incident, JAM leader Yasin Abu Bakr is expected to go on trial this week on terror-related and other charges.

The New York police chief said on the weekend that the JFK plot was "... different in its distinct ties to the Caribbean, a region that is rarely thought of in terms of terrorism but of increasing concern to us as a crucible in the foment of Islamic radicalism."

Kelly told the CBS programme 'Face the Nation' the suspects were trying to get funding from Jamat al-Muslimeen.

"We see no direct connection to core al-Qaida. But clearly ... it's a movement, it's a philosophy. And they're motivated by the same hatred that motivates al-Qaida," he said.

However, when contacted by The Gleaner, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DOHS) would not say whether the JFK plot would result in level of precaution against Caribbean nationals.

"We are at present making no adjustments to our security posture," said DOHS spokesman Russ Kanocke. "There is no credible intelligence to suggest a threat to the homeland (from the Caribbean) at this time."

Acknowledging negligible terrorist activity in the region, experts have suggested a potential risk from the Caribbean given its proximity to the U.S., relatively insecure borders, and that widespread poverty and social discontent could make it a fertile recruiting ground for Islamic extremists.

University of Richmond law professor Carl Tobias said the incident "may be a wake-up call" about the Caribbean and Latin America, areas not high on U.S. radar screens for Islamic extremism.

But Chris Zambelis, an analyst with the Washington-based Jamestown Foundation think tank, who has studied terrorism in the Caribbean and Latin America, was reported by Reuters as saying he saw no evidence of an increased risk. Zambelis added that there was no precedence of JAM acting outside Trinidad.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, Gilbert Scott, declined to comment on the issue and referred only to security preparations made by CARICOM for Cricket World Cup 2007, which included the CARICOM visa and increased collaboration between regional andinternational law enforcement agencies, amid concerns of potential terrorist attacks.

"This was based on a risk assessment, which is the only observation that I would make, and we made sure that we put in the security platform," Scott said.

Russell Defreitas, a naturalised Guyanese American who once worked at JFK Airport, was arrested in the city after being under surveillance for 18 months.

The U.S. is seeking the extradition of two suspects in custody in Trinidad: Abdul Kadir, a former member of the Guyana Parliament, and Trinidadian Kareem Ibrahim.

The fourth suspect, Abdel Nur of Guyana, was believed to be on the run in Trinidad.

Just over a week ago, Jamaican national and Muslim preacher Abdullah el-Faisal, born Trevor Forrest Williams into a devout Christian family in St. James, was deported here from the United Kingdom after serving a prison sentence for inciting racial hatred.

El-Faisal was said to have influenced Jamaican-born Jermain Lindsay who was one of four suicide bombers who killed 52 people in a coordinated attack on the London transport system in July 2005.

- Reuters news agency contributed to this story.

ross.sheil@gleanerjm.com

A field of storage tanks are seen on the grounds of John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, Saturday, June 2, 2007. A suspected terrorist cell planned a "chilling" attack to destroy John F. Kennedy International Airport, kill thousands of people and trigger an economic catastrophe by blowing up a jet fuel artery that runs through populous residential neighborhoods, authorities said Saturday. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)