trinidad [8]

Abdul Kareem Ibrahiim, 62, from Trinidad and Guyanese national Abdel Nur, 57, are both wanted on six charges while Abdul Kadir, 56, former Guyanese Member of Parliament, is wanted on seven charges in connection with a plot to blow up fuel lines at JFK Airport in New York. They were ordered extradited to the United States.
Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls threw out the no-case submission by defense attorneys, while giving them fifteen days to appeal his ruling. All three men have maintained their innocence from the start of the investigation.

The alleged charges are:

• Two counts of conspiring with other persons to commit malicious damage, contrary to Section 12 of the Malicious Damage Act, Chapter 11:06.
• Conspiring with other persons to destroy or damage an aircraft, contrary to Section 24 (1) (a) of the Airport Authority Act, Chapter 49:02.
• Conspiring with other persons to endanger the safety of an aircraft, contrary to Section 25 (1) (a) of the Airport Authority Act.
• Conspiring with other persons to detonate explosives, contrary to section 17 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 2005.
• Conspiring with other persons to promote the commission of a terrorist act, contrary to the Anti-Terrorism Act.
• Kadir alone is charged with: Using property to facilitate the commission of a terrorist act, contrary to Section 6 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
• During the same period, he and other people used the Google Earth software for the purpose of facilitating the commission of a terrorist act, likely to cause the loss of human life and damage to property; and intended to intimidate the public for the purpose of advancing an ideological or religious cause, through the detonation of an explosive device in or near the John F Kennedy Airport.

The attorneys for the accused argued that a lot of the evidence presented is not sufficient to proceed with extradition. "There is no provision in our law that creates a statutory conspiracy in relation to these (six) offences," argued Rajiv Persad, one of Ibrahiim's and Kadir's attorneys. "None of these offences are offences in which conspiracy applies," he added.

McNicolls said he was satisfied that a prima facie case was made out against the men and committed them to stand trial as charged. He remanded them in custody and ordered that they not be sent to the US before the expiration of 15 days, in the event the men wish to challenge his decision in the High Court.

Note: With reports from Trinidad Express [9] and Trinidad Guardian [10]