ComPol Says Police did not Fail by Releasing Taylor in Free Zone

Prior to the hijacking of the plane, Akinyela Taylor was involved in several concerning incidents that attracted the police’s attention.  Earlier this month, Taylor caused a disturbance at the Philip Goldson International Airport when he attempted to board a United Airlines flight to the U.S. without a ticket, prompting security to remove him. After the incident, Taylor tried to enter Mexico but was denied entry there and back into Belize. Police later found him hiding in an abandoned building in the Corozal Free Zone. Officers confronted him but released him, which has raised concerns among the public about whether the hijacking could have been prevented if Taylor had been detained. Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, responded to that criticism earlier today.

 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“Taylor first arriving to the country through the Philip Goldson International Airport. He subsequently left the country and may have gone over to the Mexican side. Apparently when he went to Mexico, he did not pass for immigration, so there was no stump. From immigration to show that he had gone over to Mexico and vice versa, from Mexico coming back into Belize. And so based on that, immigration had denied him entry into the country at the northern border. In a situation like that, where a person is refused entry, what happens is that person is sent back to where they’re coming from. If it was a situation where they were coming through the PGIA, what immigration would do, they would issue an RLL- refuse leave to land. You would then be put on a next flight back out of the country. In this case, it’s a land border. So what happens is that he’s not allowed entry. So he went back over to the Mexican side. I think sometime on Sunday, not Sunday, I think perhaps Wednesday night he was seen in the free zone again, to be in a free zone. If you’re coming from Mexico, you don’t pass through immigration. You would know the immigration station is after free zone. So once you are a tourist from Mexico or whatever, you can have access to the free zone without immigration authorization. So he was found there. The matter was reported to Mr. Rosado. Mr. Rosado had directed the police that there was no offense committed because he was in the free zone area and he would not have reached immigration. So not even an immigration offense would’ve been committed. And so based on that, he had said that the person did not commit any offense. And I totally agree with Mr. Rosado. And any detention then would’ve been an unlawful detention.”