Thursday’s terrifying hijacking concluded when the plane finally landed at the Philip Goldson International Airport after spending two hours in the air. Upon landing, chaos erupted on the runway as medical personnel and police rushed to the aircraft. Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, explains how the team was able to handle the situation without disrupting the scheduled traffic at the airport.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“For me my objective was to make sure that we clear the runway as quickly as possible so as not to hinder any of the international flights that were scheduled to arrive on that day. And so after the plane landed, considering that the runway was not the crime scene, but whether the plane was the crime scene. I had directed the plane to remove from the runway and taken to the you call it apron, whatever that part of the airport is for it to be processed by scenes of crime. And so within half an hour time, the runway was clear. And I don’t think that any of the international flights had any delay in landing. I think they all arrived on time and they landed well and took off well. So I believe, again, our efforts in terms of coordinating that was extremely good. Civil Aviation was on the ball as well as Airport Authority in making sure that the runway was not only cleared, but after the runway has been cleared. I think there is some physical checks that need to be made on the runway to make sure that it is safe for landing. That was also done so that the aircraft that were supposed to come in on that day could have been notified that there was no delay in them coming into the country.”
Reporter
“So what happens to the plan now? Is that tendered into evidence?”
Chester Williams
“We don’t need to hold a plan pending the outcome of any court case in this case. I don’t think that there’s going to be a court case, but what would’ve been done should there be one? For example, if Mr. Taylor was alive and would be prosecuted. Through the DPP office, a letter could have been issued to properly process and photograph the aircraft, and that would’ve been done in presence of a JP or a magistrate. And with that then the plane could have been returned to Tropic Air for normal operations while the case is still pending.”
Details are still unfolding about Akinyela Taylor’s hijacking of the Tropic Air flight. Police report that Taylor was kicked out of PGIA for trying to board a flight without a ticket and was later denied entry to both Mexico and Belize. Commissioner Chester Williams says it’s still a mystery why Taylor came to Belize and what drove him to commit the crime.
Reporter
“In terms of the department investigation, has anything been uncover about why Mr. Taylor was here? If he had any contacts here what he had been doing before Thursday’s incident?”
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“We don’t have any information in terms of why he was here other than the fact that he might have been a tourist. In terms of contacts, I’ve seen some video footage that showed him in certain areas. People questioned him about what he was doing. And he said he was a normal backpacker moving around. So we do not per se, stop people from coming into the country if they’re coming as tourists.”
Reporter
“And then last thing in terms, I think there have been some that have been open about calling this a terrorist incident. I don’t think terrorism in the normal definition is what happened here, but would you be able to clarify that aspect?”
Chester Williams
“Under the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism Act, it would not meet the threshold of an act of terror. So should he have survived this this ordeal, he would’ve been charged perhaps for kidnapping, attempt murder along those lines, but not for terrorism.”
Tonight, we hear from Armin Burgos, a primary school teacher from Libertad Village, who was one of the passengers on Thursday’s hijacked Tropic Air flight to San Pedro. Burgos had booked the flight to handle some personal matters, but shortly after takeoff, he and the other thirteen passengers found themselves in a terrifying situation. Forty-nine-year-old U.S. national Akinyela Taylor hijacked the plane at knifepoint, demanding the pilot change course to the U.S. Among the passengers was an infant, who happened to be one of Burgos’ former students. Burgos told us that his main priority during the ordeal was to protect the child. He also shared details about what happened during the flight and the moment a passenger shot Taylor when the plane landed at Philip Goldson International Airport. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
When forty-nine-year-old U.S. national Akinyela Taylor hijacked a Tropic Air flight on Thursday morning, just after it took off from Ranchito Airstrip in Corozal, primary school teacher Armin Burgos was among the passengers.
Armin Burgos
Armin Burgos, Passenger on Hijacked Plane
“A little bit after eight ten, it was boarding time, so we went. And the guy from Tropic told me to go to the front and I said I wanted to jump out first, so I sat on the last single seat to the back. I saw Mr. Brown, going to the front, where I was suppose to be seated. I felt a little bad, because he was an older guy. He went and sit right beside the guy that hijacked the plane.”
Taylor was seated in the first row on a double seat next to Fitzgerald Brown, while Franchesco Castaneda was on a single seat beside them. According to the flight manifest, the plane was supposed to reach the island twenty minutes after takeoff. Burgos recalls that just two minutes into the flight, he heard a commotion at the front of the aircraft and saw Taylor stabbing Castaneda.
Armin Burgos
“So I tried to call police, but I called 911 and no answer. So I called one of my cousin and I told him that they are having stabbing on the plane. Then he said, you don’t want me in your eff country, you will take me back to the U.S. then things got serious. He told me don’t turn back, just go. After everything I reached to a conclusion that he thought that Mr. Casteneda was an air marshal. That is why. At no time did he want to attack any of the passengers, only he was attacked. During the attack, Mr. Brown was trying to stop him and hold him, because Mr. Brown was between the two of them. I believe he (Castaneda) did not get stabbed completely. I believe that if Mr. Brown was not there to help, he would have been dead.”
According to Burgos, Taylor ordered all fourteen passengers to move to the back of the plane, and everyone complied. Burgos realized the plane was being hijacked when Taylor demanded the pilot change course to the U.S. Burgos tried to contact authorities on the ground using his cellphone but stopped communicating after receiving a request he felt he couldn’t fulfill.
Armin Burgos
“He asked me if I would give the guy my phone, if he would be able to talk. I said, if he is not fooling with me why would I go and fool around with him. I cut all communication. I didn’t even answer anymore communication with the police. I said, they cant help me at this moment. So, I began thinking about what I was going to do. Nobody was talking.”
Burgos says that while the passengers were huddled at the back of the plane, Taylor and the pilot, Howell Grange, were constantly talking. An American passenger took off his shirt to help Castaneda with his wounds and used his belt to wrap Brown’s injury. The flight remained in the air for nearly two hours.
Armin Burgos
“During that time, after some time circling, the pilot said, prepare we are going to the U.S.”
Paul Lopez
“What did you think at that point?”
Armin Burgos
“I said, it would be worse, because they will shoot us down.”
And then, Burgos began formulating a plan for himself and the other passengers to launch a defense in the event Taylor turned his focus towards them.
Armin Burgos
“When the guy took off his belt to help Mr. Brown, I took off mine and said I am going to choke him if he comes around. I told everyone in the back to grab your bag and try to protect yourself. I took the first aid kit and there was an ex BDF in there and I said, he should be strong, so I gave him the first aid kit, because it was out of metal.”
Paul Lopez
“How would you describe Mr. Taylor’s demeanor throughout the entire ordeal?”
Armin Burgos
“He was mad, he was really mad and angry and serious. But at no time he looked at us and said nothing. I knew he did not want us to get hurt. He told the pilot I want them to land safe.”
Fuel depletion was a major worry for everyone on board and the authorities on the ground. Burgos started coaching the infant on what to do if the plane crash landed in water. Everyone was bracing for the worst. Burgos also saw Fitzgerald Brown place a firearm in one of the chair’s back pockets while the plane was still in the air. After some time, the plane landed at Philip Goldson International Airport. That’s when Taylor stabbed the pilot, and Brown shot Taylor.
Armin Burgos
“I saw Mr. Brown got up. I didn’t see how he grabbed the gun and a huge tall white guy was there and I saw him leaned over the chair and grabbed him and that is when the shot went off and he shouted for somebody to come and help. I went with my belt and tried to tie his hand. I only tied one. Mister Brown and the white guy was holding him. He was already shot but still moving. I saw he stabbed Mr. Brown once more. So I said, somebody stop the plane, it was rolling. Everybody was trying to jump out and the BDF guy just threw himself in between the pilot and all of us, Mr. Brown, the white guy and Mr. Taylor. And he stopped the plane.”
Taylor died shortly after the incident. Injured passengers were taken for medical treatment. Burgos shared that he spoke with a therapist over the weekend due to experiencing anxiety attacks following the hijacking.
Armin Burgos
“Immediately after that I stayed in shock. I could not talk. My breath was short. All I could recall, I asked for my belt and the police brought my belt. I thought I could get through it by myself, but I seek help. A counselor offered her service and I didn’t think I needed it. Knowing myself I didn’t think I need it, but after getting help it helped me a lot.”
Three people were injured in the terrifying plane hijacking incident that occurred last Thursday. Fortunately, no passengers were fatally wounded, and the three men who were stabbed in the incident are in stable condition. According to authorities, passengers Jair Castaneda and Fitzgerald Brown have been released, while pilot Howell Grange remains hospitalized. When the plane finally landed at the Philip Goldson International Airport, hijacker Akinyela Taylor was fatally shot by one of the passengers, who was armed with a licensed gun. Today, we asked Commissioner of Police, Chester William’s if authorities are considering levying charges against the shooter for Taylor’s death. Here’s what he had to say.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“That is not something that is going to be decided by the police. But I can tell you from a legal standpoint looking at section thirty of the criminal court, which deals with just abuse of force and harm, it says that a person may use force even to the extreme necessity to kill in certain circumstances. And those circumstances include where it is perceived that one is going to cause grievous by the harm to another or. Even greater than that. And the force use can be either in defense of yourself or another person concern situation that confront those persons on board, that flight where the lives of fourteen of fifteen other persons were in danger by a knife-wielding man who had injured three persons on board that flight. It would be reasonable to say that he tforce use was justified. And so what we are going to do is put the file together and we send to the DPP for final determination.”
After multiple encounters with immigration officials, the hijacker successfully re-entered Belize and bought a ticket for a domestic flight. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams expressed uncertainty about how Taylor managed to cross the northern border, emphasizing the urgent need to bolster security in these vulnerable areas. Williams also mentioned that authorities will be reviewing and enhancing security protocols at municipal airports to prevent similar incidents in the future. Stay tuned for more details on this developing story.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“It so happens that Mr. Taylor, went back over into the Mexican side and how he eventually returned into the country. We don’t know. But again, I’ve said before, our border is very porous in that area and so he could have easily stepped back into the country. We also hearing information now that he had assaulted some police officers, which was never reported to myself or Mr. Rosado. And certainly if Mr. Rosado was told that he had assaulted any police, I’m sure. That he would not have directed, that the man not be detained. And even if a person assaults the police, you don’t need to seek permission from the commissioner, the deputy commissioner, even your command to arrest that person. There is that person there and then there is no need for you to call and say, this person assault me. What can I do? No, you don’t need to do that.”
Reporter
“So there is a legal provision for you to carry a license firearm on an aircraft? I’m not familiar with that.”
Chester Williams
“I don’t think I have said that. No. And there is nothing either to say that you cannot. Yes. We would hope that nobody would be able to board an air airline with any kind of weapon. And I believe at the time it’s coming that we are going to get there. It’s a work in progress. There is always a possibility for anything to occur. It is a matter for us to make sure that we learn from this experience. None of us who were involved in this entire process had any prior. Experience in dealing with a plane hijacking incident. None of us. But we had to be creative, we had to be reasonable and adapt strategies that we believe is going to work that is going to yield the result that we got. And I think that all the agencies are involved, the police, the, civil aviation, the airport authority, the BDF really and truly performed exceptionally well. Our efforts were well coordinated.”
News Five provided live broadcast this morning as law enforcement authorities tracked a Tropic Air flight that was hijacked by a U.S. national leaving Corozal. He has been identified as forty-nine-year-old Akinyela Sawa Taylor. A passenger on board the aircraft shot and killed Taylor moments after the plane landed at the Phillip Goldson International Airport. News Five’s Paul Lopez tells us more.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
This is the flight path of an aircraft hijacked by forty-nine-year-old U.S. national Akinyela Sawa Taylor. Armed with a knife, Taylor demanded that Howell Grange, a pilot for Tropic Air, fly him out of the country. The flight had fourteen passengers, including an infant. Flight tracking shows the pilot made a sharp turn after takeoff, circled around, then headed south. South of Belize City, the plane turned east over the Caribbean Sea, circled Caye Caulker and San Pedro Town, then returned over land near the Phillip Goldson International Airport. It went back out to sea before landing at the airport an hour and a half after leaving Corozal. A licensed firearm holder on board shot and killed Taylor moments after landing. These Cessna Caravan planes can travel over a thousand miles in ideal conditions, but the pilot told Taylor they were low on fuel, according to Commissioner of Police Chester Williams.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“And at one point in time they demanded that he landed at an area where they can refuel. Our greatest concern was the fuel consumption of the plane. The information we were getting was that the fuel was depleting, and the plane was still at a very high altitude moving.”
Law enforcement, medical, and fire personnel were ready at the Belize City Municipal Airport in case the pilot landed there. Taylor had stabbed three people on board: Jair Castaneda, a Tropic Air employee, Fitzgerald Brown, and the pilot, Howell Grange. Images and videos from the plane show a severely injured Castaneda, while the other passengers huddled at the back of the plane.
Howell Grange
Chester Williams
“So we had deployed at the International, Belize City Municipal, Caye Caulker, San Pedro, Dangriga and Even the Coastal Road, because there is an airstrip there. We did this to ensure that if the plane landed, we would have been able to intercept the hijacker.”
Jair Castaneda
When the plane made its second pass over the Caribbean Sea, it had only twenty minutes of fuel left. Authorities then called in Astrum Helicopter to track the aircraft.
Chester Williams
“We were now thinking outside the box, knowing the fuel was depleting we were hoping we didn’t have to move from a search and rescue to search and recovery. The think was for the helicopter to follow the plane to see where it would land so if they received to crash land the plane in the sea or one of the islands we would have been there quickly to respond.”
A social media user caught this video of the plane flying over Saint George’s Caye, just east of Belize City. The passenger who shot and killed Taylor after the plane landed was among the injured and is being hailed as a hero. This is the first incident of its kind in recent history, leaving many to wonder why Taylor hijacked the plane and what his story is. U.S. Embassy of Belize Public Affairs Officer Luke Martin was at the PGIA, working with local authorities.
Reporter
“Can you tell us about what you found out about the hijacker and what was his motive?”
Luke Martin
Luke Martin, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy Belize
“We don’t have any information on him at all. We know that his name was being released. We don’t know what was his intention, why he wanted to go back to the U.S., the reason of it. So, right now we don’t have any information on that.”
Paul Lopez
“So you have confirmed that he was trying to get back to the U.S. on this plane?”
Luke Martin
“That is reports that we have heard, but we have nothing direct on that. This is something that the Belize authorities, we trust them to resolve and look at well. We share that commitment with them to make sure Belize is safe, airlines are safe, tourist are safe, borders are safe and secure, this is all part of that as well. It highlights that important event of everybody investing their time and money.”
Local authorities have uncovered more details about Akinyela Sawa Taylor. Over the weekend, Mexican authorities denied him entry at the northern border, but he managed to sneak into Belize through an unauthorized entry point.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“There was an issue last night from what I was told at the freezone involving the same person. So he seems to be a problematic person, and so that is what we know about him a part from the fact that he is a U.S. veteran.”
During a State Department press briefing this afternoon, spokesperson Tammy Bruce addressed the Tropic Air hijacking by a U.S. national in Belize. Bruce confirmed that the Department of State is aware of the situation. We also spoke with Public Relations Officer Luke Martin of the U.S. Embassy in Belize about the report the embassy will send to its U.S. counterparts.
Reporter
“An attempted hijacking of an airplane internally in Belize, Tropic Air. It involved an alleged hijacker who is a U.S. citizen, according to law enforcement report, he was fatally shot. He has been identified as a U.S. citizen and passport holder. Does the U.S. have any information on this?”
Tammy Bruce
Tammy Bruce, Spokesperson, U.S. Department of State
“Not yet. We watched that unfold like everyone else. It is horrifying. We are grateful, like all of us are, that this did not turn into a mass casualty event with over a dozen people on the plane. We know a few details. We don’t know much more. As I was working on the briefing that came across my timeline. It came across yours. It is terrifying. But thank God. We don’t know about injuries and any other details, so we cant comment. But we know there was effective law enforcement on the ground and that is all I have for you now. But obviously we are watching it now.”
Paul Lopez
“What do you have to send or say to your counterparts in the U.S. at this point? What is the next step?”
Luke Martin
Luke Martin, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy Belize
“I really think that highlighting the importance of Belize. Belize is a regional partner. It is important to Central America and the Caribbean. We want to keep ensuring that we have traction and connections without law enforcement colleagues here as well.”
Paul Lopez
“What do we know about his family members in the U.S., where he originated or what state.”
Luke Martin
“We don’t have that information. We don’t know his situation, other than the name.”
Paul Lopez
“Will the embassy be working with the local authority to do a thorough background check.”
Luke Martin
“Investigation will happen, but this is in Belize so the Belize authorities will handle that as well.”
Tropic Air released a statement after the incident, calling it a serious and unprecedented in-flight emergency. They praised the pilot’s heroic effort and extraordinary courage in safely landing the plane under intense pressure. Tropic Air expressed sympathy for the injured passengers and emphasized that safety is their top priority, with pilots undergoing rigorous training to handle any situation. The airline also thanked the Prime Minister, the Department of Civil Aviation, law enforcement, and medical teams for their swift response. Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa and Commissioner of Police Chester Williams visited the injured passengers at private healthcare facilities in Belize City. We spoke with Minister Musa.
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“Myself and the commissioner visited the pilot, Mr. Howell Grange over at Health Care Partners a few minutes ago. Mr. Grange was undergoing a CT Scan to ensure that no organs was affected. He received stab wounds as well. We have two patients here at the Belize Medical Associates. Both are being treated at this time. Currently no serious impact to their organs as well. But they are badly injured. They have several stab wounds to the head and over the body. We had a chance to see them. They are in good spirit and we will continue to keep them in our prayers.”
