Knife-wielding American hijacker shot dead by ‘hero’ passenger

Akinyela Sawa Taylor attacked other passengers, leaving one in critical condition, and demanded the pilot take him out of the country.

A US citizen armed with a knife attempted to hijack a small plane in Belize. Picture: Jose A. Sanchez / AFP

An American citizen was shot dead in Belize after he tried to hijack a passenger plane.

Fourteen passengers were on board the Tropic Air flight when Akinyela Sawa Taylor began attacking people with a knife and demanding the pilot take him abroad.

His intentions remain unclear but Chester Williams, Belize’s police commissioner, said Taylor had previously been denied entry to the country. It was not known how he had been able to gain entry this time or how he smuggled a knife on board the plane.

Taylor took control of the domestic flight from Corozal, near the border with Mexico, to San Pedro at 8.30am local time, according to officials. The Cessna Caravan V3HIG circled the airport erratically, with concerns that the aircraft would run out of fuel, before landing at 10.12am.

Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport in Belize City. Picture: Jose A. Sanchez/AFP

Police were in contact with a passenger on the plane who was sending updates via text, officials said.

Taylor had slashed several people on board before another passenger fatally shot him in the chest. Williams called the passenger who fired the bullet from a licensed firearm a “hero”.

The plane was met by emergency services when it landed at Philip Goldson international airport outside Belize City. It was being trailed by an emergency service helicopter.

“We were hoping that we don’t have to move from a search-and-rescue operation to a search-and-recovery operation,” Williams said. “The helicopter was to follow the plane to see where it would land. So if they had decided to crash-land the plane in the sea, or on one of the islands, we would have been there quickly to respond and provide assistance to those passengers who might not be able to survive.”

Taylor was pronounced dead at a local hospital and one of the slashed passengers is in a critical condition. The US embassy in Belize was helping police investigate the incident, as well as Taylor’s history in the country.

The Times