THE FACE OF TERROR is constantly evolving as terrorist tactics, and even the foot soldiers trying to attack America, change. When authorities announced last weekend that they had foiled a plot designed to blow up New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport, its fuel tanks, and a jet fuel artery, the conspiracy, on the surface, seemed like more of the same. Although perhaps a bit more ambitious than the usual scheme, the JFK plot was consistent with past attempts in its targeting of a major economic artery and effort to attain maximum symbolic value. But a look at the details contained in the 33-page criminal complaint suggests a change in the modes of operation of America's enemies.

ONE SIGNIFICANT ASPECT of the complaint is what it suggests about the threat of terrorist infiltration through our southern border. Within analytic circles there is a near consensus that America's northern border poses far more of a threat of terrorist infiltration than the southern border. This view is detailed at length in Richard Miniter's Disinformation, which explains that al Qaeda has had a long-term presence in Canada, and that attempted terrorist entry from the northern border will be aided by "a political climate far different from Mexico--one that actually defends accused terrorists."

In contrast, Miniter writes that "there are no known cases of al Qaeda terrorists sneaking across the Mexican border." As Miniter notes, a 2004 report by Robert S. Leiken of the Nixon Center examining how 212 "suspected or convicted" terrorists entered the United States finds that of all their means of entry, "terrorists stealing across the Mexican border comes last, virtually nil."

But the JFK criminal case may challenge these conclusions. All of the arrested plotters hail from South America and the Caribbean: Russell Defreitas is a U.S. citizen from Guyana; "Amir" Kareem Ibrahim is a citizen of Trinidad; and Abdul Kadir and Abdel Nur are citizens of Guyana. Seven unindicted coconspirators are also mentioned in the complaint, designated Individuals A through G. Six of these unindicted coconspirators are from Guyana; the seventh hails from Trinidad.

Besides the geographic origin of the plotters, their plan for moving terrorists into the United States is also significant. In paragraph 16 of the complaint, Individual A (whom some intelligence sources suspect may be Adnan El Shukrijumah) mentioned that in addition to plotting to strike the United States where it would do the most harm, he was working on a plan "to smuggle individuals, including mujahideen, from Asia into Guyana and then into the United States." The fact that he wanted to transport terrorists through Guyana into the U.S. may well cause analysts to rethink the terrorist threat emanating from the southern border.

It's unclear how Individual A intended to move terrorists into the United States. He could have planned a covert entry, either through the U.S.-Mexico border or the Florida Keys. Or he could have intended the would-be terrorists to come in through a traditional port of entry, perhaps disguising themselves as Latino so they wouldn't fit the typical terrorist profile. In late April, a British judge sentenced five men to life in prison for their roles in a plot to attack London targets with bombs made from a half-ton of fertilizer. One interesting fact revealed at trial was that one of the plotters, Rahman Adam, had legally changed his name to Anthony Garcia. The Washington Post noted that British investigators believed he did this "to conceal his Muslim and Arab background from police."

BESIDES THE IMPLICATIONS for border security, the geographic origins of the JFK plotters--and the connections they made use of along the way--may call into question analysts' assumptions about the strength of terrorist networks in Guyana and Trinidad.