American killed after attempting to hijack plane in Belize: officials
A knife-wielding US national was fatally shot in the chest after attempting to hijack a Tropic Air plane in Belize on Thursday, officials said.
A state of emergency was declared at the Philip SW Goldson International Airport after Akinyela Sawa Taylor, 49, began attacking people inside the San Pedro-bound flight at 8:30 a.m., according to officials.
The hijacker slashed several people aboard the plane before another passenger shot in him, with the suspect succumbing to his injuries, Newsweek reported.
During the incident, the Cessna Caravan V3HIG was circling the airport in random directions before landing at the airport at 10:12 a.m., officials said.
Concerns were growing over the situation as the aircraft was running out of fuel while circling the airport, authorities added.
Police and emergency personnel rushed to transport the suspect and aid the injured after the aircraft came to a stop on the runway.
Belize’s Commissioner of Police Chester Williams touted the passenger who shot Taylor as a “hero.”
The plane was carrying 14 passengers, including two Americans, as well as two crew members.
It remains unclear how Taylor was able to get a knife on the plane, police added.
It’s also unclear how Taylor managed to get inside the country after he was denied entry over the weekend, Williams said.
The US Embassy in Belize has been tapped to help police investigate the incident.
