Forex

Three men from the Caribbean have appeared in court in the United States, accused of plotting an attack on New York's John F Kennedy airport.

Kareem Ibrahim, 62, Abdel Nur, 57, and Abdul Kadir, 59, who all pleaded not guilty, were extradited from Trinidad on Wednesday.

A fourth man, Russell De Freitas, is awaiting trial. He denies conspiracy.

Prosecutors say the four men plotted to blow up buildings, fuel tanks and pipelines at the airport last year.

'Exaggerated claims'

Abdul Nur's lawyer, Daniel Nobel, said the charges were completely unsubstantiated and a trial would prove his client's innocence.

"I'm confident that we'll be able to demonstrate that this is one more in a significant chain of cases in which charges of this nature have been grossly exaggerated," he said.

Abdul Kadir's lawyer, Kafahni Nkrumah, said that the men were victims of post-9/11 hysteria.

"I think that if you see what has occurred since 9/11 and what's happening to the detainees in Cuba and the like, I would characterise this in that vein," he said.

A judge at the Brooklyn federal court ordered Mr Nur and Mr Kadir, both from Guyana, and Mr Ibrahim, from Trinidad, to be held in custody without bail until a hearing on 7 August.