Realterror News Articles

T&T police and FBI searching for fourth terrorist suspect

Monday, 04 June 2007 

Trinidad and Tobago police Monday warned that the fourth man being sought in an alleged terrorist plot to bomb the John F. Kennedy airport was “armed and dangerous” and appealed to citizens to help in his capture.

“I want to make a special appeal to the people of Trinidad and Tobago to be on the lookout for Abdul Nur, he is the fourth person sought in this alleged terrorist plot which has meant to cause immense destruction at the JFK airport in the United States,” Police Commissioner Trevor Paul told a news conference.

He said information available to the local police indicates that Nur, “who was born in Guyana and from our records Mr. Nur is in Trinidad and Tobago”.

United States authorities allege that Nur, 67, along with Trinidadian Kareem Ibrahim 61, former Guyanese legislator Abdul Kadir, 55, and Russell de Freitas were part of a terrorist cell that planned to attack the JFK airport, one of the United States’ busiest, by blowing up major fuel supply tanks and the pipelines.

Ibrahim and Kadir, a former legislator in Guyana, were arrested here over the weekend and appeared in a Trinidad Magistrate’s Court on Monday where they have been remanded into custody until June 11, when their lawyers say they would make an application for bail.

They have been charged with the extraditable offence of conspiring to commit terrorist acts against the laws of the United States. They were not called upon to plead to the charges that have been laid indictably.

De Freitas, a Guyanese born US citizen, has been arrested and detained in the United States.

Paul told reporters that Nur, who also goes by the name Compton Eversely, had entered the oil rich republic on May 20 through the Piarco International Airport.

“I want anyone who sees Mr. Nur to please …contact the nearest police station. Mr. Nur is wanted for an alleged terrorist act and as such we in law enforcement consider him to be armed and to be dangerous.

“The offence for which these people have been charged is indeed a serious one therefore there is an absolute need to locate Mr. Nur.

“I reiterate that our information suggests that he is in our country,” Paul told reporters saying that the United States Federal Bureau of Investigations is spear heading “this matter”.

“However, I want to emphasis that local enforcement officers have been working with the US authorities on this matter and we in the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service will not allow anyone to cause disruption to our country.

“The arrest of Mr. Ibrahim and Mr. Nadir are indicative of the stringent measures we have in place to prevent any acts of terrorism, notwithstanding this, we also take this opportunity to ask the public to report any suspicious acts that could lead to terrorism, this is our country and we need to protect it,” Paul said.

The police Monday circulated a picture of a bearded, frail looking Nur and Paul again refrained from linking the suspects to the radical Jamaat al Muslimeen group that in 1990 staged an unsuccessful coup against the then Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago ANR Robinson.

“As far as our intelligence is concerned we will not want to use this medium to discuss what we are doing along that line,” he said.

Paul said that he was aware that the wanted man had in his possession several passports of different countries, adding, “we have not ruled out the fact that he can be using other names…unknown to us at this point in time”.

The Police Commissioner said that security had been beefed up at the airport and other locations on the island including the oil facilities owned by US-based companies.

“We are focussing on that aspect.”

Earlier, the Trinidad and Tobago government said it would work together with the United States to deal with terrorism “wherever they occur.

“The government of Trinidad and Tobago condemns in the strongest possible terms, any contemplated acts of terrorism in any country and continues to reiterate its support for the efforts of the government of the United States and all other countries in apprehending persons suspected of such dastardly acts and bringing them to justice.

“The government of Trinidad and Tobago will continue to co-operate with and support the government of the United States in its indomitable determination to stamp out acts of terrorism wherever they occur,” the statement said. 

http://www.cbc.bb/content/view/11118/45/