HUNDREDS on Thursday bade farewell to convicted terror plotter, Abdul Kadir, at a funeral service held at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground.

Kadir, a former parliamentarian and Mayor of Linden, passed away in a US prison on the 28th June while he was serving a life sentence. It was a solemn atmosphere as the large gathering observed the Muslim rites(janaaza) in bidding farewell to Kadir, who, along with several others, were plotting to blow up the JFK Airport.

His son, Salim Kadir, asked the gathering to ask God to grant his father forgiveness. “I would just like to ask family members, friends, relatives and the general public to ask God to forgive my dad and our brother and may his soul rest in peace.”

Imam Sahid, in his short remarks, said that Abdul Kadir is free at last and no one has to tell him anything anymore. He reminisced on the great contributions Kadir had made for the development of Linden and for touching the lives of many in a special way. “Thousands of people can testify on the sacrifices that he made to involve his community in different projects and that is the legacy of our brother; you never departed from our minds and our hearts.”

Chairing the short programme was prominent Muslim leader, Jafar Muhammad, who said that true terrorists always admit what they would have done, but Kadir stood by his innocence to his death. He asked Lindeners to understand how the system is set.
Kadir died at 65 years old after being incarcerated for 11 years. He was convicted for allegedly plotting to blow up fuel tanks at the John F. Kennedy Airport back in 2007. Even while incarcerated, his family was always in contact with him, even four days before his death. His daughter, Haajar Kadir, said that her family had no knowledge of any prolonged illness her father was suffering from.

On June 2, 2007, Kadir was arrested in Trinidad aboard a plane headed to Venezuela, en route to Iran. He was subsequently extradited to the United States where he was tried and sentenced. Kadir served as Mayor of Linden from 1994 to 1996. He was also a staunch member of the PNCR. On Monday, there was a night of reflection held in Linden for him and many reflected on the way he served as a community member and a religious leader.