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Cuban aircraft hijacked - FBI
20/03/2003 06:35 - (SA)
Miami - US authorities detained six hijackers after the Cuban DC-3 airliner they seized with 35 people aboard was intercepted by US fighter jets and forced to land in Florida, an FBI spokesperson said on Wednesday.
"It was a peaceful surrender," the official, Judy Orihuela said after the ageing twin-engine plane landed in Key West.
The aircraft was intercepted by F-15 jets over international waters as it headed from Cuba toward the United States, officials said.
"The two jets shadowed the plane until it landed in Key West," said Lieutenant Colonel Barry Venable, spokesperson for the North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad).
Officials said the plane had been spotted by air traffic controllers in Miami, and that Cuban aviation authorities reported the hijacking of the plane that was meant to fly from Cuba's Isle of Youth to Havana.
Bergen said the plane landed just after 03:00 on Thursday with 29 passengers and six crew members aboard. FBI, customs and local police agents were on hand at the Key West airport.
The alleged hijackers were not immediately identified, nor was their motive.
The incident came at a time of heightened security barely two hours before President George W Bush announced he had launched war against Iraq.
Before landing, the DC-3's pilot was in contact with air control at Key West, according to another pilot who touched down a few minutes earlier.
"He was speaking in English. He was asking about the runway," said Robert Gray.
"The tower guy was asking what kind of airplane it was so he could be helpful. It seemed cordial."
In November, US authorities had forced a Cuban cropduster to land in Key West with eight people aboard. The passengers and crew were briefly detained but were eventually granted asylum in the United States after authorities determined they had all fled Cuba.
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