A U.S. man believed to be a military veteran hijacked a small plane in Belize on Thursday, stabbing two passengers and the pilot before being shot and killed by one of the injured people, according to officials from Belize and the United States.
The plane landed safely despite the incident.
The Tropic Air plane, which was flying from Corozal to San Pedro, was carrying 14 passengers and two crew members. Akinyela Taylor, 49, of St. Louis, Missouri, was identified as the hijacker.
U.S. Embassy in Belize spokesman Luke Martin said Taylor, brandishing a knife, demanded to be flown out of the country and returned to the U.S. According to authorities, he pleaded for the plane to land and add more fuel.
“We don’t know why he wanted to go back to the United States,” Martin said.