The Justice Department said Abdul Kadir and his co-conspirators "believed their attack would cause extensive damage to the airport and to the New York economy, as well as the loss of numerous lives".
A jury trial heard that in 2006 Kadir and former airline cargo worker Russell Defreitas were preparing to blow up fuel tanks and the fuel pipeline under the airport, which is located about 19 kilometers from Manhattan.
They were found guilty. Defreitas will be sentenced on January 21. A third man, Abdel Nur, pleaded guilty to supporting the conspiracy and faces up to 15 years in prison. Another alleged plotter, Kareem Ibrahim, faces trial on the same charges as Defreitas and Kadir.
The court found that Defreitas, a naturalized U.S. citizen, hatched the plot, using his experience of airport fuel depots. He recruited Kadir and others for taking care of video surveillance of JFK airport.
Prosecutors said Kadir led attempts to enlist support from big international Muslim militant groups and from Iran's government for the attack. Kadir admitted in court that he was passing information about sensitive military issues in Guyana to Iran.
He was arrested in June 2007 in Trinidad while on his way to Iran via Venezuela. He was later extradited to the U.S. and charged with conspiracy to attack a public transportation system, aircraft, and international airport facilities.
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