A suspected New York jihadist has been arrested near a major airport as new details of an averted “catastrophe” come to light.

Metro

By Khristina Narizhnaya And Jorge Fitz Gibbon

The suspected Queens jihadist arrested with an arsenal of weapons in his SUV was ordered held without bail Thursday — as disturbing new details of the case emerged in court.

Judd Sanson, 29, was a few blocks from La Guardia International Airport when he was stopped by alert police officers early Wednesday morning – and nervously ducked under the seat of his SUV during the tense first moments of the encounter with the police, prosecutors revealed.

They then found a loaded Glock 9mm pistol under the driver's seat.

“Sorry, there are a lot of drunk people these days,” Sanson allegedly told officers after they arrested him for obscuring the vehicle's license plates. “I live in Jamaica. I was visiting my uncle.

But police had already spotted a knife strapped to Sanson's leg, as well as an MTA reflective vest, “a makeshift ax hanging from the ceiling” and a “makeshift sword” inside the vehicle, the prosecutor said Queens District Deputy Dylan Nesturrick in Queens Criminal Court.

In total, the prosecutor said nearly a dozen weapons, an NYPD body armor and 179 rounds of ammunition were found inside the black Ford Explorer.

He also said investigators found a “disturbing photo” on Sanson’s Facebook page but did not provide details.

“This car stop averted what could have been a disaster for the citizens of Queens, New York and potentially even the country,” Nesturrick said.

Sanson stood before judge Julieta Lozano with her mane of long hair flowing over a black t-shirt that said “Dreamer: Into Reality” and had a rose next to it.

Prosecutors said he had addresses in Tennessee and Maryland, but lived with his father in the Hollis section of Queens and had a 1-year-old daughter.

His lawyer said Sanson worked as a “self-employed mechanic” and supported his young daughter.

Thomas Montella of Queens Defenders asked Lozano to set a reasonable bond for his client.

“At the end of the day, this is a gun case,” Montella said.

But the judge sided with prosecutors, who asked that he be held at Rikers Island without bail pending his court appearance Monday.

“It is concerning that he is just blocks from the airport,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said after the arraignment. “You have to ask about intent.”

Sanson was arrested around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday and was questioned at the 110th Precinct police station until he was taken away in handcuffs earlier Thursday for his court date.

He smiled as reporters asked him questions – and flashed a broad smile when asked if he bought his arsenal of weapons on Amazon.

Meanwhile, officers executed a search warrant at his father's apartment and entered and exited the Jamaica Avenue building Thursday, with prosecutors saying they found a Glock detention case inside.

Additional reporting by Georgett Roberts