Knife-wielding US citizen hijacks plane in Belize, shot dead by passenger mid-air

A US citizen hijacked a small Tropic Air plane in Belize on Thursday at knifepoint before being fatally shot by a passenger, Reuters reported, citing the police.

The assailant, identified as US citizen Akinyela Sawa Taylor, pulled a knife while the plane was in the air, demanding that the domestic flight take him out of the country.

The Tropic Air plane was carrying 14 passengers and two crew members. It 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, according to the Associated Press.

According to Police Commissioner Chester Williams, Taylor stabbed three people on board, including the pilot and the passenger who shot Taylor with a licensed firearm.

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As the drama unfolded in the skies, the plane circled randomly for nearly two hours before landing safely.

The two injured passengers and the pilot were being treated at a hospital for their injuries, according to officials.

Williams said that the passenger who managed to shoot at Taylor was stabbed in his back and suffered a puncture to his lungs. He remains in critical condition.

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

The officer added that it remains unclear how Taylor boarded the plane with a knife, even though he acknowledged that the country's smaller airstrips lacked security to fully search passengers.

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In Washington, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that officials were still gathering information about what occurred, reported the Associated Press.

“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.”

Who was Akinyela Sawa Taylor?

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. However, an employee at the school told Reuters that Taylor did not currently work there.

(Inputs from agencies)