American man hijacks plane headed to popular Belize tourist town

An American man hijacked a small plane heading to a popular Belize tourist town Thursday, stabbing two passengers and a pilot before he was shot and killed by another passenger. 

The terrifying incident started around 8:30 a.m. local time and lasted for nearly two hours. 

Plane hijacked in Belize

What we know:

A Tropic Air plane had 14 passengers and two crew members on board when the hijacking happened. It was flying from Corozal, a small town near the Belize-Mexico border, to San Pedro, a popular tourist destination. 

Tourists board a Tropic Air plane at the Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport in Belize City on April 17, 2025. A U.S. citizen armed with a knife attempted to hijack a small plane in Belize on Thursday but was shot and killed by a passenger, police said

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The flight route provided by Flightradar 24 shows the plane circling around randomly. A police helicopter was following the plane before it landed safely in the coastal town of Ladyville. 

The hijacker, later identified as Akinyela Taylor, stabbed two passengers and a pilot during the hijacking. One of the stabbed passengers was able to shoot and kill Taylor, despite being stabbed in the back and suffering a punctured lung. The passenger was licensed to carry a gun and later turned it over to police. He remains in critical condition. 

What we don't know:

The Belize police commissioner said Taylor was a U.S. military veteran, but U.S. officials have not confirmed his military status. It’s also unclear why Taylor hijacked the plane. Police said Taylor was demanding to be flown out of the country to the U.S., and at one point wanted the plane to land to add more fuel.

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What they're saying:

"We don’t know why he wanted to go back to the United States," U.S. Embassy spokesperson Luke Martin said. 

"Horrifying," U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. "We are grateful, I think all of us are, that that did not turn into a mass casualty event."

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"In the face of incomprehensible pressure, our pilot acted with extraordinary courage and calm, guiding the aircraft to a safe landing. His actions were nothing short of heroic," said Maximillian Greif, the CEO of the airline company.