Kapring av det spesielle slaget- CNN / ASN

 

"Licenced firearm" skal ikke befinne seg i kabinen, unntatt for det som i USA kalles Air Marshals. Kniv er naturligvis heller ikke tillatt. Alle ICAO land skal følge disse reglene.  Uansett dramatisk så det holder dette, men security må under lupen.  (Red.)

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0

A US citizen hijacked a small Tropic Air plane in Belize on Thursday at knifepoint, injuring three others before being shot and killed, police said.

The assailant pulled a knife while the plane was in air, demanding the domestic flight take him out of the country, Police Commissioner Chester Williams told journalists.

The hijacker was identified as US citizen Akinyela Sawa Taylor, Williams said, adding that it appeared Taylor was a military veteran.

The plane circled the airspace between northern Belize and capital Belize City as the hijacking was underway, and began to run dangerously low on fuel, the police commissioner said.

Taylor stabbed three people on board, according to Williams, including the pilot and a passenger who shot Taylor with a licensed firearm as the plane landed outside Belize City.

That passenger was rushed to the hospital, as was Taylor, who died from the gunshot wound.

Williams said that it was unclear how Taylor boarded the plane with a knife, though he acknowledged that the country’s smaller airstrips lacked security to fully search passengers.

The attacker had been denied entry to the country over the weekend, according to police. The plane had been due to fly the short route from Corozal near the Mexican border to San Pedro, off the coast. Police said it was unclear how Taylor reached Corozal.

Belizean authorities have reached out to the US embassy in the country for aid in investigating the incident. Luke Martin, public affairs officer for the embassy, told journalists that it had no details on Taylor’s background or motivation so far.

According to information released by the airport, Taylor was a teacher in the United States. He was listed online as previously being a football coach at the McCluer North High School in Florissant, Missouri.

An employee at the school told Reuters that Taylor did not currently work there.

Date:	Thursday 17 April 2025
Time:	08:30
Type:	Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX
Owner/operator:	Tropic Air
Registration:	V3-HIG
MSN:	208B5457
Year of manufacture:	2018
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 14
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	None
Category:	Unlawful Interference
Location:	near Corozal -    Belize
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Passenger
Departure airport:	Corozal Airport (CZH/MZCZ)
Destination airport:	San Pedro Airport (SPR/MZSP)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Tropic Air flight 9N711, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX, was hijacked after takeoff from Corozal Airport, Belize by a passenger holding a knife. He demanded to be taken to the United States.

The flight diverted to Belize City Airport (BZE).
A licensed firearm holder on board shot and killed the hijacker moments after landing.