MEXICO CITY: A US veteran was fatally shot after he hijacked a small passenger plane in Belize on Thursday, officials in Belize and the US have confirmed.
After the plane carrying 14 passengers and two crew members landed safely, police in Belize identified the man as Akinyela Taylor.
Chester Williams, Belize police commissioner, said that Taylor wielded a knife and stabbed three passengers on the plane. Those people were later taken to the hospital to treat their injuries.
Williams said that Taylor was shot by a passenger who was licensed to carry a firearm, which he later turned over to police . The passenger was among those stabbed and remains in critical condition as he was stabbed in the back and lungs, according to the police commissioner.
U.S. Embassy spokesperson Luke Martin confirmed that Taylor was a U.S. citizen. He said U.S. officials did not know the cause or motive but were working with Belizean authorities.
