A U.S. citizen hijacked a Tropic Air flight in Belize on Thursday, stabbing two passengers and a pilot before being fatally shot by one of the injured passengers.
The plane, which was carrying 14 passengers and two crew members, was en route from Corozal, a town near the Mexican border, to the tourist destination of San Pedro when the attack occurred.
The hijacking began around 8:30 a.m. local time. According to Belize Police Commissioner Chester Williams, the man was identified as Akinyela Taylor.
He was described by Belizean police as a U.S. military veteran, though U.S. officials could not confirm his military status.
Authorities said Taylor held a knife and demanded the plane be flown out of Belize, possibly to Mexico or the United States. At one point, he also insisted that the plane land to refuel, forcing the pilot to circle the skies for nearly two hours while a police helicopter followed.
During the hijacking, Taylor stabbed two passengers as well as the pilot. One of the injured passengers, who was licensed to carry a firearm, managed to shoot and kill Taylor.
Amid the chaos, the pilot safely landed the plane at an airport in Ladyville, a coastal town near Belize City. Emergency responders rushed the wounded to a nearby hospital for treatment. The remaining passengers and crew were unharmed.
Maximillian Greif, CEO of Tropic Air, praised the pilot’s actions, calling them “nothing short of heroic” and commending his calmness and courage under pressure. Authorities declared a full emergency at the airport while the incident unfolded.
U.S. Embassy spokesperson Luke Martin in Belize said they were still gathering information about the hijacking, adding that Taylor had insisted that he be taken to the United States.
“We don’t know why he wanted to go back to the United States,” Martin said.
The investigation is ongoing as Belizean and U.S. authorities work together to determine how Taylor was able to board the flight with a weapon.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said at a news briefing in Washington that officials were still gathering information about what occurred.
“Horrifying,” Ms. Bruce 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.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
