Overview
Kareem Ibrahim was a designated terrorist by the government of Trinidad and Tobago. He was also a former imam who provided religious instruction and operational support to a group plotting to commit a terrorist attack at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York in June 2007.“Consolidated List of Court Orders Issued by the High Court of Justice of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Under Section 22B (3) Anti-Terrorism Act, CH. 12:07,” Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, December 3, 2015, https://www.fiu.gov.tt/wp-content/uploads/03-Dec-15-TT-Consolidated-List-of-High-Court-Orders.pdf; “Kareem Ibrahim Sentenced to Life in Prison for Conspiring to Commit Terrorist Attack at JFK Airport,” Federal Bureau of Investigation, January 13, 2012, https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/newyork/press-releases/2012/kareem-ibrahim-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-conspiring-to-commit-terrorist-attack-at-jfk-airport. On January 19, 2016, Ibrahim died of heart failure at the U.S. Medical Center in Springfield, Missouri.John Marzulli, “Terrorist who plotted blowing up JFK fuel tanks dies in federal prison,” New York Daily News, February 5, 2016, https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/terrorist-plotted-blowing-jfk-fuel-tanks-dies-article-1.2522242.
On June 2, 2007, U.S. federal authorities uncovered a plot by a suspected terrorist cell to blow up John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Ibrahim was one of four suspects. The suspects targeted the airport because it was a symbol that would put “the whole country in mourning.”“U.S.: ‘Unthinkable’ terror devastation prevented,” NBC News, June 3, 2007, http://www.nbcnews.com/id/18999503/ns/us_news-security/t/us-unthinkable-terror-devastation-prevented/#.Xo9Ybf1Kipq. Ibrahim and several co-conspirators sought to explode fuel tanks and fuel pipelines under the airport in order to cause extensive damage to the airport, the New York economy, and to also result in a large number of casualties.William K. Rashbaum, “4 Men Charged in Plot to Bomb Kennedy Airport,” New York Times, June 2, 2007, https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/02/nyregion/02cnd-plot.html.
Trinidadian authorities arrested Ibrahim on June 3, 2007, and charged with conspiring to commit acts of terrorism in the United States. On June 25, 2008, the Port-of-Spain High Court ordered Ibrahim to be extradited to face charges in New York.Prior Beharry, “Suspects in Kennedy Plot Extradited From Trinidad,” New York Times, June 25, 2008, https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/25/nyregion/25extradite.html.
Law enforcement officials who investigated the case claimed that the plot was only in a preliminary phase and that the suspects had not yet acquired the funding or necessary explosives to carry out the attack. Authorities claimed that the suspects had “fundamentalist Islamic beliefs of a violent nature” and that the men were motivated by a hatred for the United States and Israel.Cara Buckley and William K. Rashbaum, “4 Men Accused of Plot to Blow Up Kennedy Airport Terminals and Fuel Lines,” New York Times, June 3, 2007, https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/nyregion/03plot.html. Authorities became aware of the plot through a convicted drug trafficker who agreed to act as an informant to the U.S. government in exchange for a more lenient sentence and a stipend.Colin Moynihan, “15-Year Sentence for Conspirator in Airport Plot,” New York Times, January 13, 2011, https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/14/nyregion/14plot.html.
Prior to his involvement in the plot, Ibrahim was an imam and a leading figure in the Shiite community in Trinidad and Tobago. It is alleged that the mastermind behind the plot, Russell Defreitas, recruited Ibrahim in 2006.“Imam from Trinidad Convicted of Conspiracy to Launch Terrorist Attack at JFK Airport,” Federal Bureau of Investigation, May 26, 2011, https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/newyork/press-releases/2011/imam-from-trinidad-convicted-of-conspiracy-to-launch-terrorist-attack-at-jfk-airport. In May of 2007, Defreitas, a former cargo handler at JFK Airport, provided Ibrahim with video surveillance and satellite imagery of possible locations for an attack. According to reports, Ibrahim allegedly had connections with militant leaders in Iran who could provide assistance in carrying out the plot. Among those revolutionary leaders was Mohsen Rabbani, the former cultural attaché indicted for orchestrating the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Argentina.“Imam from Trinidad Convicted of Conspiracy to Launch Terrorist Attack at JFK Airport,” Federal Bureau of Investigation, May 26, 2011, https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/newyork/press-releases/2011/imam-from-trinidad-convicted-of-conspiracy-to-launch-terrorist-attack-at-jfk-airport. Additionally, Ibrahim advised the plotters to recruit suicide operatives for the attack.“Kareem Ibrahim Sentenced to Life in Prison for Conspiring to Commit Terrorist Attack at JFK Airport,” Federal Bureau of Investigation, January 13, 2012, https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/newyork/press-releases/2012/kareem-ibrahim-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-conspiring-to-commit-terrorist-attack-at-jfk-airport. It is alleged that the men had ties to Jamaat al-Muslimeen, an Islamist group in Trinidad and Tobago who attempted to carry out a coup against the government in Trinidad and Tobago in 1990. However, Yasin Abu Bakr, the leader of Jamaat al-Muslimeen, denies any association with the plot.Cara Buckley and William K. Rashbaum, “4 Men Accused of Plot to Blow Up Kennedy Airport Terminals and Fuel Lines,” New York Times, June 3, 2007, https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/nyregion/03plot.html.
On June 25, 2008, Ibrahim appeared at the Eastern District Court in New York and pleaded not guilty.“3 plead not guilty in plot to bomb JFK,” CNN, June 25, 2008, https://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/25/terror.plot/index.html. He was held in custody and did not apply for bail.Christine Kearney, “N.Y. airport plot suspects extradited, plead innocent,” Reuters, June 25, 2008, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-plot-airport/n-y-airport-plot-suspects-extradited-plead-innocent-idUSN2549835520080626. According to reports, Ibrahim suffered a variety of health ailments and was confined to prison hospitals throughout the extent of his hearings and trials, resulting in Ibrahim being tried separately from his co-conspirators.John Marzulli, “Accused JFK terror plotter Kareem Ibrahim starving for a death wish?,” New York Daily News, November 16, 2008, https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/accused-jfk-terror-plotter-kareem-ibrahim-starving-death-article-1.338961.; A.G. Sulzberger, “3 Years Later, Trial to Start in J.F.K. Bomb Plot,” New York Times, June 29, 2010, https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/30/nyregion/30terror.html?searchResultPosition=4. On May 26, 2011, Ibrahim was convicted by the Eastern District of New York court on multiple charges of conspiring to attack mass public transportation systems and facilities.“Imam from Trinidad Convicted of Conspiracy to Launch Terrorist Attack at JFK Airport,” Federal Bureau of Investigation, May 26, 2011, https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/newyork/press-releases/2011/imam-from-trinidad-convicted-of-conspiracy-to-launch-terrorist-attack-at-jfk-airport. On January 13, 2012, Ibrahim was sentenced to life in prison.“Kareem Ibrahim Sentenced to Life in Prison for Conspiring to Commit Terrorist Attack at JFK Airport,” Federal Bureau of Investigation, January 13, 2012, https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/newyork/press-releases/2012/kareem-ibrahim-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-conspiring-to-commit-terrorist-attack-at-jfk-airport.
On December 3, 2015, the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago listed Ibrahim as a designated terrorist and issued an order to freeze all of his assets.“Consolidated List of Court Orders Issued by the High Court of Justice of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Under Section 22B (3) Anti-Terrorism Act, CH. 12:07,” Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, December 3, 2015, https://www.fiu.gov.tt/wp-content/uploads/03-Dec-15-TT-Consolidated-List-of-High-Court-Orders.pdf.
On January 19, 2016, Ibrahim died of heart failure at the U.S. Medical Center in Springfield, Missouri.John Marzulli, “Terrorist who plotted blowing up JFK fuel tanks dies in federal prison,” New York Daily News, February 5, 2016, https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/terrorist-plotted-blowing-jfk-fuel-tanks-dies-article-1.2522242.
Associated Groups
- Extremist entity
- Unaffiliated
- Type(s) of Organization:
- Religious, terrorist, violent
- Ideologies and Affiliations:
- Islamist, Shiite
- Position(s):
- Imam (former)
History
Trinidad and Tobago
The government of Trinidad and Tobago lists Kareem Ibrahim as a designated terrorist and issues an order to freeze all of his assets.“Consolidated List of Court Orders Issued by the High Court of Justice of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Under Section 22B (3) Anti-Terrorism Act, CH. 12:07,” Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, December 3, 2015, https://www.fiu.gov.tt/wp-content/uploads/03-Dec-15-TT-Consolidated-List-of-High-Court-Orders.pdf.
Daily Dose
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
Fact:
On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded southern Israel where, in the space of eight hours, hundreds of armed terrorists perpetrated mass crimes of brutality, rape, and torture against men, women and children. In the biggest attack on Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, 1,200 were killed, and 251 were taken hostage into Gaza—where 101 remain. One year on, antisemitic incidents have increased by record numbers.