An American citizen has been shot dead after he hijacked a small Tropic Air plane in Belize.
As reported by NBC, on Thursday, April 17, the man, who was a teacher in the US, stabbed two passengers and a pilot on the plane before he was taken down by a stabbed traveller.
The aircraft was carrying 14 passengers and two crew members, and was en-route to Belize from Corozal.
Before the plane landed safely on the ground, the dramatic incident caused the Tropic Air plane to circle around in the skies for nearly two hours.
The hijacker, who was later identified as US citizen Akinyela Sawa Taylor, demanded that the flight take him out of the country.
While admitting the lack of security at country's small airstrips, Police Commissioner Chester Williams informed the press that they are investigating how Taylor was able to bring a knife on the plane.
Furthermore, Williams revealed that the passenger, who shot Taylor, was licensed to carry a firearm and later turned his weapon over to police.
Expressing his gratitude to the man, the commissioner noted, "We are praying for him, He’s our hero."
US State Department rep Tammy Bruce said at press conference in Washington that the authorities are gathering information about the incident.
Referring the incident as "horrifying," she added, "We are grateful, I think all of us are, that that did not turn into a mass casualty event with I believe over a dozen people on the plane. Clearly we know a few details. We don’t know much more."
Along with that, Belizean authorities have reached out to the US embassy in the country to help in investigating the incident.
