Officials at Philip SW Goldson International Airport (PGIA) say they received a warning from a US man who was hijacking a small plane in Belize on Thursday.
According to Belize and US officials, the man stabbed two passengers and a pilot. The passengers were approved to carry the firearm and later handed over the weapon to police.
“We pray for him,” Belize Police Commissioner Chester Williams told reporters. “He’s our hero.”
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Views of Philip SW Goldson International Airport in Belize City, photographed on April 17, 2025. (via Jose A. Sanchez/AFP Getty Images)
Williams identified the hijacker as Akinyela Taylor and described him as a US military veteran, according to a report by the Associated Press. US officials were unable to confirm the Belize Police Commissioner’s statement that Taylor is a military veteran.
According to a statement from PGIA, the Air Flight Cessna Caravan V3hig from Corzal to San Pedro had 14 passengers and two crew members.
A complete emergency was declared shortly after the incident began, with the aircraft turning in a random direction for about two hours, according to a statement from the Belize Airport Concession Company.
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Tourists queued up at the tropical air counter at Philip SW Goldson International Airport in Belize City on April 17, 2025. (via Jose A. Sanchez/AFP Getty Images)
U.S. State Department spokesman Tammy Bruce said during a news briefing in Washington that officials were still gathering information about what happened.
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“It’s scary,” she said. “I think we’re all grateful that it didn’t change the incident of a massive casualty with more than dozens of people on the plane. Obviously we know some details. We don’t know any more.”
US officials said they were unaware of Taylor’s motives for hijacking, but they were working with Belize authorities to determine what happened.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
