| Foiled plot reveals weaknesses at US airport |
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| World Affairs Talk | |
| Tuesday, 12 June 2007 | |
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Although authorities said the plot was foiled long before it was operational and insist that the fuel tanks at JFK are secure, the back door to airports has always been an issue for serious consideration. Trucks come and go; aviation fuel comes, so the need for the commission to identify to build security at all levels of airport planning and construction is necessary. In the incident that alerted everybody in the first week of June, Russell Defreitas, a retired cargo worker of John F. Kennedy International Airport plotted with a former member of the Guyanese parliament and two other men to blow up terminal buildings, fuel tanks and the network of fuel pipelines beneath the airport complex. Russell Defreitas, is a US citizen of Guyanese origin who had worked at the airport as a cargo handler during the 1990s.John F. Kennedy International Airport, colloquially known as JFK, is an international airport located in Jamaica, Queens, in southeastern New York City about 12 miles from Lower Manhattan. JFK is the top international air passenger gateway to the United States and is also the leading freight gateway to the country by value of shipments. Although JFK is known as the premier international hub for both New York City and the United States, it also handles domestic flights, mostly to the West Coast. The plot, which never got past the planning stages, was to blow up a jet-fuel pipeline at JFK setting off a potential massive explosion. The 64 km fuel pipeline to the airport extends from New Jersey and through the New York boroughs of Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens. The Congress formed -The Transportation Security Administration - by in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks to take responsibility for aviation security. This agency sees perimeter and infrastructure security at airports, but the work of protecting them day to day rests with the airport's operator. A government audit done in 2006 found that enforcement efforts were irregular. Government Accountability Office said in the report that it identified instances where airport operators failed to comply with existing security requirements, including requirements related to access control. Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs JFK airport, said it was satisfied with its security. He said, "these tanks are 300 feet away from an internal airport road. They are surrounded by heavy-duty fencing and barbed wire, and are patrolled 24 hours a day". Share & Bookmark             |
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| Last Updated ( Saturday, 16 June 2007 ) |
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