American Man Shot Dead After Hijacking Plane

A dramatic midair hijacking came to a tense and tragic conclusion at the Philip Goldson International Airport (PGIA) this afternoon, when a small passenger plane was forced to make an emergency landing after circling Belizean airspace for hours. The hijacker, a U.S. national identified as Akinyela Sawa Taylor, was fatally shot, and three passengers were injured.

Police Commissioner Chester Williams confirmed that the aircraft, which had taken off from Corozal, was hijacked by Taylor, reportedly a U.S. military veteran, shortly after departure.

“Shortly after taking off from the airstrip, the plane was hijacked by a passenger on board who has been identified as one Akin Taylor, who is a U.S. national. Apparently, he is a veteran as well,” Williams said. “Based on what we were getting, this hijacker was demanding that he be taken out of the country.”

The aircraft, circling Belizean airspace between Belize City and Ladyville, even veered out toward the Turneffe area at one point. Authorities grew increasingly concerned as the aircraft’s fuel levels dropped.

“Our greatest concern was the fuel consumption,” Williams explained. “The information that we were getting was that the fuel was depleting, and the plane was still at a very high altitude.”

Williams and a police team moved to the control tower to monitor the situation more closely, while multiple police units were deployed across the country — including to San Pedro, the Municipal Airstrip, the Philip Goldson International, and even to locations on the Coastal Road.

“We did this…to ensure that had the plane landed at any of these locations, we would have been able to intercept the hijacker,” Williams said.

The plane appeared to be landing at PGIA before taking off again. “The pilot then communicated to us that the hijacker had directed him not to land there…I guess because he knew that once he landed here, there would be police waiting.”

With fuel nearly exhausted, police contacted Astrum Helicopters to track the aircraft in the event of a crash landing. “We were hoping that we wouldn’t have to move from a search-and-rescue operation to a search-and-recovery operation,” Williams noted.

Just as the helicopter team was preparing to take off, the aircraft returned and successfully landed at PGIA. “As the plane landed, it ran out of fuel. So again, God is good. The passengers were quickly evacuated, and they were met by police and airport employees.”

A confrontation on the tarmac led to the hijacker being fatally shot in the chest. “I must say that the hijacker was shot to the chest,” Williams confirmed. “Three passengers on board the plane received injuries. They were stabbed with a knife — the hijacker had a knife.”

One of the passengers with a licensed firearm reportedly shot Taylor as the aircraft landed. “What we gathered from one of the passengers who was injured is that as the plane landed, he shot the hijacker. He had a licensed gun.”

That passenger was rushed to Belize Medical Associates. “We’re praying for him, and he’s our hero, I must say.”

The hijacker was taken to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Investigators have since recovered both the knife used in the attack and the firearm that was used to stop the hijacker.

“There were a total of 14 passengers on board. Two were Americans and the others were Belizeans, including a child,” Williams disclosed.

According to the Police Commissioner, Taylor had attempted to enter Belize legally over the weekend via the northern border but was denied entry by immigration officials. “We’re still wondering how he eventually came in, but again, we all know the porous nature of the border. So, he might have come in illegally.”

Police believe Taylor may have been involved in a disturbance at a pool hall in the Corozal Free Zone the night before the hijacking. “It seems he’s a problematic person,” Williams added. “So that is what we know of him to date — the fact that he’s a U.S. veteran.”

As for Taylor’s motive, Williams said: “The thing is that he was saying to be taken out of the country… One of the things I was hoping and praying for was that he would not say to them, ‘Take me to Cancun’ or ‘Take me to somewhere in Mexico.’ That was not done.”

The passengers injured during the hijacking are American nationals. Their conditions are being monitored.

Williams also revealed that during the ordeal, he was in direct communication with a passenger on board the aircraft. “I must say that I was in communication with a passenger on the plane who had a phone. I was speaking with him through text, and he was sharing information. That passenger helped us to assert exactly what we were going to need.”

With the PGIA runway cleared and reopened, international flights are expected to land without delay.