US, British Embassies in Guyana were also targets

Jul 04, 2010 News

JFK terror plot…

…defendants attempt to have oral testimony struck out
As the trial against the two Guyanese, Abdul Kadir and Russell De Freitas for allegedly plotting to blow up a fuel pipeline at the John F Kennedy Airport continues, the defense is seeking to have the testimony of Talib Rutherford be struck.

Russell De Freitas

On Thursday last, the defendants through their attorney, orally moved to preclude the government from introducing evidence that a coconspirator, Talib Rutherford, planned to bomb the U.S. and British Embassies in Georgetown, Guyana.
The US Government has since petitioned trial Judge, Dora Irizarry, to have the evidence stand as it is relevant non-hearsay and should be admitted at trial.
Two Government witnesses, Donald Nero and Steven Francis, have testified that Rutherford was a member of the conspiracy to attack JFK Airport, the conspiracy charged in the indictment. Francis is expected to testify that on or about September and October 2006, he traveled to Guyana to meet with De Freitas and other conspirators, including Nero and Rutherford, to discuss the JFK plot.
The government is contending, also, that during this time period, there were several meetings regarding the plot, as well as other discussions.
According to the US Government, through the prosecution team, Francis will testify that during the same time period, Rutherford explained to him that he wished to bomb other targets, including the U.S. and British Embassies in Georgetown, as well as military installations. Rutherford, according to the US, called the idea “The Beginning.”
Rutherford also allegedly asked Francis to accompany him to take surveillance photographs of the embassies.
The US contends that given the theory of defense, it is clearly relevant that one of the people De Freitas brought into his scheme – well before Steven Francis even met De Freitas was Talib Bilal Rutherford, “a determined terrorist with deep-rooted anti-Western animus (animosity shown in speech or action).”
They contend that the fact that Rutherford discussed bombing other Western targets is relevant to show characteristics of the man whom De Freitas chose to conspire with.
“When De Freitas solicited the help of Rutherford with respect his plan to destroy JFK Airport,
he solicited the help of a man with the commitment and wherewithal to get the job done,” according to the US Prosecution team.