An alleged plot to blow up the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and a recent plot to kill soldiers at the Fort Dix base in New Jersey are only the “tip of the iceberg” of terrorist plots against America, say U.S. officials.

This past weekend, the fbi announced it foiled a plan to blow up a 40-mile fuel pipeline to the jfk airport. Russell Defreitas, a Guyanese-born American citizen who hoped to “cause greater destruction than in the September 11 attacks,” was arrested along with a native Guyanan and a Trinidanian (Telegraph, June 5).

This comes less than a month after the fbi broke up another Islamist cell plotting an attack on Fort Dix. These plotters were ethnic Albanians who had immigrated to America from Macedonia.

This most recent incident, the latest of several terrorist threats, involves a couple of factors that leave many Americans asking how long before the nation experiences another 9/11, or worse.

First, the plot shows how terrorist attacks can be independently planned outside of well-known terrorist organizations. One counterterrorism official said it reveals “the threat posed by the unknown terrorist, the person who becomes almost self-radicalized.” He also stated, “In this modern era, you can quickly gather a lot of information online and also reach out to international networks.”

Second, the jfk plot provides evidence that the threat of terrorism from south of the United States and on America’s own soil is growing. The official said, “Although a lot of the public focus is on Europe, we’re also looking closely at the home-grown threat and what’s going on in our own backyard.”

Official estimates show Trinidad’s Muslim population is at 6 percent and Guyana’s is at 10 percent. Both are poor, unstable societies, making the region susceptible to religious radicalization. South America is also full of left-wing, anti-American leaders who welcome the likes of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, making the continent a concern for U.S. intelligence agencies.

The same counterterrorism official said, “There’s a lot of [terrorist] activity out there,” and indicated there were dozens of other plots being monitored by the cia and fbi. Biblical prophecy reveals exactly where these trends in terrorism are leading and how they will affect America. For more on what the Bible says about terrorism, read “Why We Cannot Win the War Against Terrorism.”