US man killed after hijacking small plane in Belize, officials say

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A U.S. man hijacked a small plane in Belize on Thursday, stabbing two passengers and a pilot, before one of the stabbed passengers fatally shot him, officials in Belize and the United States said. The plane then landed safely.

The Tropic Air plane was carrying 14 passengers and two crew members, and was flying from Corozal, a small town near Belize’s border with Mexico, heading to the popular tourist destination of San Pedro when it was hijacked.

The plane circled in random directions for nearly two hours as the drama unfolded in the skies. The plane was tailed by a police helicopter before touching down at an airport in the coastal town of Ladyville.

Belize authorities declared a full emergency immediately after the incident started, around 8:30 a.m. local time, according to a statement by the Belize Airport Concession Company.

“In the face of incomprehensible pressure, our pilot acted with extraordinary courage and calm, guiding the aircraft to a safe landing. His actions were nothing short of heroic,” said Maximillian Greif, the CEO of the airline company.

The two wounded passengers and pilot were being treated at a hospital for their injuries, officials said.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said at a news briefing in Washington that officials were still gathering information about what occurred.

“Horrifying,” she said. “We are grateful, I think all of us are, that that did not turn into a mass casualty event with I believe over a dozen people on the plane. Clearly we know a few details. We don’t know much more.”

Chester Williams, Belize police commissioner, identified the hijacker as Akinyela Taylor and said he was a U.S. military veteran. U.S. officials could not confirm the Belize police commissioner’s statement that Taylor was a military veteran.

One of the stabbed passengers managed to shoot at Taylor, who was killed, Williams said, adding that the passenger was licensed to carry a firearm and later turned his weapon over to police. The passenger was stabbed in his back and suffered a puncture to his lungs, Williams said. He remains in critical condition.

“We are praying for him,” Williams told reporters. “He’s our hero.”

An official at Tropic Air, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to journalists, identified the injured crew member Howell Grange. He said the two injured passengers, one of whom shot the hijacker, as Fitzgerald Brown and Jair Castañeda. Their nationalities were not immediately known.

Williams said that Taylor was demanding to be flown out of the country, possibly to Mexico, and at one point wanted the plane to land to add more fuel.

U.S. Embassy spokesperson Luke Martin in Belize said Taylor also insisted that he be taken to the U.S.

“We don’t know why he wanted to go back to the United States,” Martin said.

U.S. officials said they did not know the motive for Taylor’s hijacking but were working with Belizean authorities to determine what happened.
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Watson reported from San Diego.