Surveillance Video of Accused JFK Plotter

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June 04, 2007 5:25 PM

The man authorities say is the ringleader of the alleged plot to blow up the jet fuel pipeline at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport was captured by a Brooklyn diner's security camera just before he was captured by the FBI.

Footage obtained by ABC News and other outlets shows Russell Defreitas, 63, a former cargo worker at the airport, at the Lindenwood Diner Friday night, where, according to the New York Daily News, he sat down at table eight, sipped tomato juice and ordered salmon with no spice.

When he had finished his meeting with another man believed to be the government informant on the suspected plotters, Defreitas left without paying a tip. He is seen in the footage wearing a brown robe and exiting the diner shortly after 7 p.m.

Video: Watch Security Video From a Brooklyn Diner of the Accused JFK Plotter

The video shows him sitting with the informant, who the News said ate crab cakes and cheesecake, for many minutes before they both left the restaurant and attempted to drive off together, at which time the agents stepped in and made the arrest.

It brought to a conclusion an 18-month investigation into the homegrown terror plot, in which the determination of the suspects was the most impressive feature, according to investigators who were careful to note the plotters had no ability to execute their alleged plan. 

Law enforcement officials speaking Sunday added the informant kept them fully informed from virtually the start of the plot. They say the informant, described as a convicted drug dealer, was so deeply involved in the plot he was able to keep the authorities informed of every move Defreitas and his cohorts made.

Another important aspect of the case was the Caribbean associations of Defreitas and his accused co-conspirators. Authorities say he sought help not from extremists in Afghanistan or Pakistan as so many homegrown plotters in the past have done but from extremist elements in Trinidad and Guyana.

Defreitas is scheduled for a Wednesday bail hearing in federal court in New York. Two other suspects are in custody in Trinidad where they say they will fight any attempt at extradition to the United States. A fourth suspect is being sought.

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