A Hijacking On Holy Thursday: How A US National Held A Tropic Air Flight Hostage

Untitled Document This Holy Thursday began with news that left the entire country stunned. A Tropic Air Flight, heading from Corozal to San Pedro, was hijacked by a man with a knife. During the ordeal, three persons were injured, and the hijacker, American National Akinyela Taylor was eventually killed.
It's a terrifying tale that included 14 frightened passengers, 3 brave Belizeans, and a small aircraft with limited fuel. It's also an event that left behind many questions - what was Taylor's motives? How did he get into the country? Where was he headed? And how did he get a knife onto the plane?

While Taylor won't be able to answer any of those question, the police department have been on the case since around 8:30 this morning. Following the plane's safe landing at the PGIA, the ComPol gave a briefing of what they know so far. Courtney Menzies was there and has this story.

Passengers heading from Corozal to San Pedro boarded a Tropic Air flight around 8 this morning. Less than half an hour later, the authorities received an unprecedented and alarming call - the plane had been hijacked by a passenger - US National 49 year old Akinyela Taylor.

Taylor, who was reportedly armed with a knife, moved to the front of the Cessna Caravan and forced the pilot to change directions.

For the officials at the airstrip, the international airport, and within the police department, their biggest concern was rapidly depleting fuel in the aircraft.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Based on what we were getting is that this hijacker was demanding that he be taken out of the country and at one point in time he demanded they land at an area where they can receive additional fuel. The plane circled the Belize airspace between Belize City, Ladyville and at one point in time the radar picked up the plane all the way out in the Turneffe Atoll area flying all the way out there. Our greatest concern was the fuel consumption of the plane, information we were getting was that the fuel was depleting and the plane was still at a very high altitude moving."

According to the Commissioner, the police wasted no time in deploying, but they were unsure where the plane would ultimately land. Teams were sent to the airstrips in Belize City, Caye Caulker, San Pedro, Dangriga and even along the Coastal Road.

Meanwhile, up in the air, Taylor reportedly stabbed three persons during the aircraft's two hour flight - a passenger, a manager at Tropic Air, and the pilot.

It wasn't until around 10:30 that the aircraft finally landed.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Closer to the time of landing the plane had come to the PGIA and was about to land and then we certainly saw the plane went back up again and the pilot later communicated to us that the hijacker had directed him not to land the plane here, I guess he knew that once he landed here there would be police waiting and so they went again with what we were told, 20 minutes of fuel, they went all the way east of the airport. That would be in the Blackbird area, Caye Caulker, San Pedro, at one point we thought it was going to land in Caye Chapel and so what we did is we contacted Astrum Helicopter because now we were thinking outside the box, knowing that the fuel was depleting, we were hoping we didn't have to move from a search and rescue operation to a search and recovery operation so the thing with the helicopter was to follow the plane to see where it would land so if they had decided to crash-land the plane in the sea or on one of the islands we would have been there quickly to respond and provide assistance to this passengers providing that they would have survived so we ensured that we planned properly for whatever may eventually happen. And so as we were about to board the chopper to go out we were informed that the plane was back over Ladyville, over the PGIA. And then we spotted the plane from a distance coming down and landed at the PGIA."

And the landing happened just before the aircraft would have run out of fuel.

However, at that moment, one of the injured passengers took the opportunity to pull out his licensed firearm to subdue the hijacker.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"I must say that high-jacker was shot to the chest. Three passengers on board the plane received varying degrees of injuries they were stabbed with a knife, the hijacker had a knife and what we gathered from one of the passengers who were injured is that as the plane landed he shot the hijacker, he had licensed firearm and so he was the one who shot the hijacker and also handed over his firearm to us. Sadly that passenger is in a critical condition because he was stabbed in the think in the back and his lungs seemed to have been collapsing. He has been rushed to the medical associates and we are praying for him, he is our hero I must say for today and the hijacker was also taken to the KHMH and was pronounced dead on arrival so the hijacker is dead."

And while Taylor was killed, the three other injured passengers have since received blood donations and are in stable conditions at the hospital.

It's the best case scenario following the two hours of terror in the skies of Belize - an unnerving incident that has highlighted the glaring lack of security at the municipal airstrips.

The injured persons include Jair Castaneda - a manager at Tropic Air, Howell Grange - the flight's pilot, and Fitzgerald Brown - the passenger who shot the hijacker. Castaneda and Brown are currently at the Belize Medical Associates with cut wounds. Grange had to undergo an operation at Belize Healthcare Partners. Notably, this is not the first instance a Tropic Air flight has been hijacked. It occurred back in 1970, 6 days before Easter, when the elder John Greif was taken from the municipal airstrip all the way to Cuba.

Pilot Praised, Passengers Treated, And Airstrips To Implement More Security Measures

Untitled Document Following the incident, Tropic Air, the PGIA, and the Belize Airport Authority all issued separate press releases.
Tropic Air's statement called the hijacking an "in-flight emergency." They then said, quote, "In the face of incomprehensible pressure, our pilot acted with extraordinary courage and calm, guiding the aircraft to a safe landing. His actions were nothing short of heroic." End quote. They added that their pilots are trained to respond to any situation that may arise. They also stated that their are offering support to the passengers who were injured.
PGIA's release stated that they received information about the hijacking around 8:30, and that the flight had 14 passengers and 2 crew members. Their aircraft landed after 10 on their runway, after which the injured persons were flown to the hospital. Other passengers remained to be questioned to confirm details of the incident.

The BAA release states, quote, "While investigations are ongoing, the BAA would like to reassure the traveling public and stakeholders that safety and security remain top priorities at the BAA's municipal airstrips across Belize. The BAA also wishes to inform the public that comprehensive plans to implement enhanced security protocols such as passenger bag checks and the installation of scanning equipment have been in effect since January 2025. These initiatives are not a direct response to the recent event, but rather part of a proactive and long-term strategy to elevate safety standards across the aerodromes." End quote. The BAA added that they are actively working to roll out these new measures in phases and implementation is expected to begin in the next few weeks.

Who Was Akinyela Taylor?

Untitled Document Now the question remains - who is 49 year old Akinyela Taylor?
He's a US National who was born in California and lived in St Louis, Missouri.
He's also an author - his book, Journey Through The Mire: The Calling is available on Amazon. According to the blurb, Taylor, quote, "shares his own spiritual journey from a place of darkness and despair to one of light and hope. Along the way, he explores the many challenges and rewards of the spiritual path. His story is one hope and redemption." End quote.
He flew into the country on April 8th from Miami, Florida on an American Airlines flight. At the northern border, he was unable to cross into Mexico. Then, when he was trying to get a return flight last week, he reportedly started a commotion that led to him being kicked out of the airport.
On Thursday and Friday, he was spotted at Belize Dry Cleaners doing laundry and asking how he would be able to get to the airport, and to Corozal. On Friday, he boarded a bus headed north.

Right now, the police is still gathering information on Taylor. This morning, the ComPol told us what they knew so far.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"But I can also say to you that from our research so far it shows that the hijacker, came into the country well attempted to enter the country over the weekend through the Belize Northern Border and he was refused entry by immigration and so we are still wondering how he eventually came in, again we all know the porous nature of the border so he might have came in illegally and there was an issue from what I was told at the free zone last night involving the same hijacker so he seems to be a problematic person so that is what we know about him in addition to the fact that he is a US veteran."

"Well the thing is that he was saying to be taken out of the country, so out of the country, one of the things I was hoping and praying for was that he would not say to them well take me to Cancun or take me to somewhere in Mexico. That was not done so, but to answer your question he wanted to get out of the country from what was being told to us."

ComPol Says Communication Was Key

Untitled Document The police response to this morning's incident was swift and well coordinated. According to Williams, he led the operations and communicated with different departments in order for this mission to go smoothly.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Well the thing is that it is a matter of making sure that we have proper command and control, I took command of the operations and guided what the police is going to do, liaising with different counterparts looking at the US Embassy the Belize airport authority, the BDF even the CEO in the Prime Minister's Office Ms Narda Garcia, My Minister I kept in constant dialogue with him briefing in terms of what we were doing and what was happening and again it's to ensure we are all in sync in terms of what we do when we have these incidents, at the end of the day one slip can cause mayhem so we have to ensure that whatever we do is done with the intent to create good and achieve good and I believe that all the different agencies involved in this operation today did, and executed their functions properly and that's the reason why we had the results we have and I can't forget the pilot. The pilot for that plane I must say that he did an exceptional job even in terms of his communication with the tower as this was unfolding he remained calm and he was extremely focused in terms of what he was going to do. Had he panicked it could have had a different outcome so again the pilot was very instrumental for the outcome that we had and so I must ensure that we give him the credit that he deserves."

The incoming Commissioner, Dr Richard Rosado, was also at the PGIA and involved in the process.

What Will Airstrip Security Measures Look Like Now?

Untitled Document And as you heard from the Belize Airport Authority, they had already planned to beef up security this year, and they emphasized that the new measures that will be implement are not purely reactionary.

But the ComPol also explained that they will need to sit down with the relevant authorities to ensure that the municipals airstrips have more security.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"I'm sure this is going to be something that is going to be discussed intensely at the next national security council meeting. I know we have commenced dialogue in terms of looking at our local flight security. The time has come for us to look at it more inedibly and see what adjustments can be made, I am sure that there is going to be input from the airport authority in this respect so it's a matter more for the national security council to determine what is going to be done moving forward where security on these planes are concerned."

"What we have done at the different airstrips is to increase police patrols at these areas at least hourly the police would go and make checks at the airstrips and make sure everything is okay but in terms of posting police officers at the airstrips we have not gotten there yet but we have encouraged the airlines to hire local security to man their assets at the different airstrips."

"Certainly there is a lot of lessons to be learned from here and I was discussing with myself, Mr Rosado and the I think major and captain from the BDF that we need to sit-down and do an after action assessment of the entire situation today and see what were the lessons learned, how best can we improve should there be any future event which we hope that there is going to be done but certainly security, security security at the airport, at the airstrips that are used for commercial purposes is important so the greatest lesson learned from this is to not take nothing for granted ensuring we have proper systems in place to be able to check all passengers who are going to board these flights before they leave any particular area."

And as of this afternoon, directives to the police department are that one officer is to be placed at the municipal airstrip during opening hours, which is 6 in the morning to 6 at night, everyday including weekends and holidays. Shift supervisors were advised to make the necessary rotations so that there is full time coverage. They will also be allowed to conduct searches on passengers if there is reasonable suspicion.

A statement from the Department of Civil Aviation says, quote, "It is important to note that discussions to enhance airport security at domestic terminals were already in progress before this incident, including negotiations with specialized security service providers. While there is currently no indication that this event is linked to any broader threat, we are taking decisive action. As a precaution and in the interest of public safety, enhanced security measures will be implemented across all domestic airports effective immediately." End quote.

US Embassy Has Little Knowledge Of Hijacker

Untitled Document The Public Relations Officer for the US Embassy, Luke Martin, also gave a few brief words. He emphasized the relationship that the US has with Belize but stated that at this time, only little is known about the hijacker.

Luke Martin, Public Affairs Officer, US Embassy
"We don't have any information on him at all I think the name has been released of course but we don't know the situation, we don't know why he wanted to go back to the United States or what was the reason and for right now we don't have anymore information on that."

Courtney Menzies
"Had he been in contact with the US Embassy before this?"

Luke Martin, Public Affairs Officer, US Embassy
"Not that I know of no I believe not."

Reporter
"Was he in contact with the embassy during the Hijacking?"

Luke Martin, Public Affairs Officer, US Embassy
"No we have no contact with it, we don't know anything on his background as well,"

Reporter
"But he is a US veteran,"

Luke Martin, Public Affairs Officer, US Embassy
"We don't know about him being a US veteran, that we don't have no."

"This is something that the Belize authorities we trust them to resolve and to look at as well we share that commitment with them to make sure Belize is safe, the airlines are safe and tourists come in here safe, borders are safe and secure, this is all part of that as well it really highlights the importance of that big investment that everybody is making time and money yeah."

"So I really think highlighting the important of Belize, I mean Belize is a regional partner, Belize is really important in Central America and the Caribbean we have a lot of Americans that are down here and we want to keep ensuring that we have traction that we have connections with our law enforcement colleagues here as well."

Courtney Menzies
"Will you all be working with the local airstrips and even the PGIA to ensure more safety measures in the future?"

Luke Martin, Public Affairs Officer, US Embassy
"Well that's a great, I think I'm not sure about more safety measures, but safety measures themselves are important in ensuring that all of the airports here are at international standards and that we can ensure the safety of both tourists, international travelers and Belizeans as well."

UB Lecturer And Union Leader On Administrative Leave For Sexual Harrassment Allegations

Untitled Document He has served within the University of Belize for the past 9 years in the Faculty of Science and Technology, and is the current president of the University of Belize Faculty and Staff Union, but according to credible reports, Dr Pio Saqui has been placed on administrative leave since Thursday April 10th. This comes after the university received reports of sexual harassment allegedly involving Dr Saqui. We reached out to the president of UB for a comment today and he stated via text message, quote, "yes there is an allegation made. We are taking it seriously and we are working to ensure a swift and fair investigation to seek resolution for all involved." End quote.
Following that comment, a press release was issued by the university. It states that the complaints came from several students and that UB has launched a full investigation. They added that the matter will be reviewed by the appropriate disciplinary committee.
They also stated that they are providing necessary mental health and counseling support to the students during this process.

We also reached out to Dr Saqui for a comment but received no response.

ComPol Says He Deserves Lavish Sendoff

ComPol's CEO Salary Still Being Worked Out

Robber Shot During Northside Robbery

Untitled Document And in crime news, yesterday we told you about a robbery on the Northside. According to police reports, sometime around 5 in the evening, a Bowen & Bowen truck was parked at the corner of St Peter's and First Streets while making a delivery to Ceviche Express. That's when three men came up to the truck. One of the men pulled out a gun and pointed at one of the employees inside the truck. The gunman ordered him not to move and then robbed him of an undisclosed amount of money as well as his personal wallet containing $300. An off duty officer who was at Ceviche Express witnessed the robbery and fired several shot at the robbers, who ran towards Dunn Street. However, one of the robbers was shot police found him at the KHMH in a stable condition. .9mm shells were found on the scene, and a few streets away, police also found a surgical mask and a ski mask. They were also able to recover a $100 bill with blood stains. Police are now searching for the suspects.

11 Year Old Raped By 19 Year Old Maintenance Worker

Untitled Document And in San Pedro, an 11 year old girl reported to police that in September 2024 she had accompanied her mother to a resort on the island to clean when a 19 year old maintenance worker raped her. She was examined in November of that year and was certified as carnally known. Yesterday, 19 year old Ezekiel Cal was arrested and charged for rape of a child.

Woman Raped Inside Her Bedroom

Untitled Document And a Guatemalan national also reported that at around 1 yesterday morning, she arrived home from work and while in her bedroom, she heard the door open. When she turned around, she saw two men in ski masks standing in her bedroom. One of the men pushed her onto the bed and raped her, while the other searched her home. Police are currently investigating.

How Do You Like Your Good Friday Fish?

Untitled Document If you've secured your Easter fish, but you're not sure how you'll prepare it, we may have a few ideas for you - coming straight from one of Belize City's well known chefs. We stopped by Naked Chicken yesterday and Chef Ainsleygave us a walk through of his kitchen and all the sides he has prepared to go along with any traditional Good Friday meal. Jomarie Lanza has this story.

It's the Easter season's hottest commodity, aside from the spice packed hot cross buns, No Good Friday meal is every complete without the main course - fish. But whether you like it fried, baked or bubbled in a pot of homemade serre, here at Naked Chicken with Chef Ainsely we explored a couple of other ways to serve up your freshly caught fish.

Ainsley Castro, Chef, Naked Chicken
"Easter well you know it's fish of course and then I walked you through the kitchen earlier so you saw where I got that cross bun, I was showing people how to do different things with fish other than fry fish and cross buns I did that one where I deboned it and stuffed it with some Chaya and callaloo an some local ingredients from right around the market and I did it with some plantains and tostones so that's something nice and I also had some with cassava bread but again these are things that show you can do your fish different on a Good Friday so you don't have to eat it that traditional so you can do a soup if you'd like too."

"Well everyone likes red snapper but trust me you have a lot of other nice fish you have Paugy you have Tilapia that tastes good, you have snook, Baracuda, you have jew fish one of my favourites again then you got the Cabia that's another nice fish."

But whatever your preference in Fish may be, Ainsley encourages locals to keep it healthy, even if that means a simple meal of fish, and hot cross buns with cheese.

Ainsley Castro, Chef, Naked Chicken
"I recommend it with again healthy stuff, baked potato is one of the favourites I got ducunu, that I recommend it with but with this now I have I was serving it with some cassava bread and the traditional cross bun so that's what's why I had the special again so for Easter it's something again, and that's why I'm welcoming everybody to see that you can do lots of different things other than just with the cross bun you can do it a lot of different ways."