A former leader of the Shia Muslim community in Trinidad has been convicted of taking part in a failed plot to blow up fuel tanks and pipelines at JFK airport in New York

Kareem Ibrahim was convicted of five conspiracy counts in the plot, which officials say was meant to outdo 9/11. Russell Defreitas and Abdul Kadir are serving life sentences after also being convicted for their roles. Ibrahim, 65, also faces life in prison. Prosecutors said that the men had wanted to kill thousands in New York and shake the U.S. economy by blowing up fuel tanks and pipelines that run under a neighborhood near the airport. The scheme was uncovered when an informant recorded a discussion about the planned attack between Kadir and Defreitas, who began preparations for the attack in 2006. Defreitas, a 68-year-old former cargo handler, and Kadir, a former member of Guyana's parliament, were convicted on conspiracy charges in August 2010.