One of four men accused of plotting to blow up fuel lines and planes at John F. Kennedy International Airport has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.
Abdel Nur, of Guyana, faces up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to a charge of providing material support of terrorists.
The 60-year-old and three other men were accused of plotting to kill thousands of people and cause and economic catastrophe by blowing up the airport.
The material support charge was not part of the original indictment against Nur. If he had been convicted at trial he could have been sentenced to life in prison.
Trial is scheduled to start Wednesday for two of the other men. They have been charged with conspiracy. The fourth is being tried separately.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
NEW YORK (AP) — One of three men accused of plotting to blow up fuel lines and planes at John F. Kennedy International Airport pleaded guilty Tuesday to a lesser charge, avoiding a possible life sentence if he had been convicted at trial.
Abdel Nur, of Guyana, now pleaded guilty to providing material support of terrorists, a charge that was not in the original indictment against him. He faces up to 15 years in prison.
The 60-year-old and two other men were accused of plotting to kill thousands of people and cause and economic catastrophe by blowing up the airport. Trial was scheduled to start Wednesday for the two other men, who have been charged with conspiracy.
An indictment unsealed in 2007 said the men hoped to "cause greater destruction than in the Sept. 11 attacks" by using explosives to ignite the fuel pipeline feeding JFK and destroy the airport and parts of Queens, where the line runs underground.
The plot, which the men code-named Chicken Farm, never got past the planning stages, authorities said.
Nur and the other men were brought to New York in 2008 after being taken into custody in Trinidad, where they spent more than a year fighting extradition. A judge there rejected arguments they couldn't get a fair trial in the United States.
(This version corrects that there are 4 defendants, one of whom is being tried separately.)
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