Three passengers were injured after a U.S. citizen allegedly hijacked a small plane at knifepoint in Belize on Thursday, police said.
Akinyela Sawa Taylor, a U.S. citizen, hijacked a Tropic Air Belize plane with 13 other passengers on board, officials said.
Police received information the plane was hijacked by a passenger on board shortly before takeoff. Taylor wanted to be taken out of the country and demanded more fuel for the plane, police said.
The hijacker was fatally shot in the chest by a passenger who had a licensed firearm, police said.
The aircraft, which was circling, almost ran out of fuel by the time it landed, police said.
Three passengers, all from Belize, were injured with knife wounds. The flight had 14 passengers total on board, including two Americans, police said.
Police were in contact with a passenger on the plane who was sending updates via text, officials said.
It is not yet clear how the hijacker was able to get on the plane with a knife, police said.
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In a statement on Thursday, Tropic Air Belize CEO Maximillian Greif called the the pilot’s actions “nothing short of heroic” and said it is offering “all available support” to the injured passengers.
“Our pilots undergo rigorous training to respond effectively and efficiently to any situation, and today we pause to recognize the bravery, skill and leadership that brought our aircraft home safely,” Greif said.
The U.S. Embassy has been contacted and will help the police with the investigation.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said during a press briefing Thursday she did not have much to offer yet on the hijacking, but the agency was following the incident as it was unfolding.
“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,” Bruce said.
The suspect was refused entry to the country over the weekend and officials are investigating how he was able to get in, according to police.
ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston contributed to this report.
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