Mexico City, September 10: Federal police prepare to enter a hijacked Boeing 737 plane at the international airport in Mexico City September 9, 2009. Hijackers seized an AeroMexico passenger plane in Mexico with more than 100 people on board on Wednesday but the incident ended quickly without bloodshed.
Federal police prepare to enter a hijacked Boeing 737 plane at the international airport in Mexico City September 9, 2009. Hijackers seized an AeroMexico passenger plane in Mexico with more than 100 people on board on Wednesday but the incident ended quickly without bloodshed.
MEXICO CITY, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) — The hijacking of an aircraft traveling from the Caribbean resort of Cancun to Mexico City Wednesday ended with the arrest of a Bolivian citizen while all passengers and crew were unharmed.
Passenger plane hijacked by three Bolivians lands in Mexico City
The Bolivian man is Jose Marc Flores Pereira who claimed that he wanted to warn the authorities of a massive natural earthquake, Gernaro Garcia Luna, Mexico’s public security minister told a press conference held at the capital’s international airport.
Flores had taken control of the plane by claiming to have an explosive device, but a later investigation by the police showed that it was only a fruit juice container, said the minister.
“He said he had a divine revelation… during which a divine voice warned him that a massive earthquake was about to hit Mexico City,” Garcia said, noting that the hijacker has a history of alcoholism and drug addiction.
Garcia said the hijacker had also ordered the aircraft to circle the airport seven times before landing, as part of a bid to “detain” the quake.
Mexican Federal Police present to the media Jose Mar Flores Pereira from Bolivia accused of hijacking an AeroMexico plane in Mexico City, September 9, 2009.
Flores, who has lived in Mexico for 17 years, was born in the Bolivian state of Santa Cruz and was once jailed before moving to Mexico, Garcia said.
Flores also appeared at the press conference, chewing gum and smiling, somewhat nervous but unharmed. Garcia said the authorities had meticulously checked the identification of all passengers aboard to ensure that Flores did not have any accomplices.
The hijacking of Aero Mexico’s flight 576, a Boeing 737-800, led to the closure of Mexico City’s International Airport for 15 minutes. However, the plane’s 104 passengers were freed from the aircraft within some 30 minutes after the landing.
Mexico’s last plane hijacking occurred in 1972 when four men seized a flight from the northern city of Monterrey and forced it to fly to Cuba.
–Agencies