Overview

• Akinyela Sawa Taylor, a U.S. military veteran, hijacked a Tropic Air flight in Belize at knifepoint, demanding to leave the country.
• Three people, including the pilot and the armed passenger who shot Taylor, were injured during the attack; the armed passenger remains in critical condition.
• The plane, carrying 14 passengers and two crew members, circled Belize City for hours before safely landing with low fuel at Ladyville Airport.
• Belizean authorities and the U.S. Embassy are investigating how Taylor, previously denied entry into Belize, gained access to the country and boarded the flight with a knife.
• The incident has prompted reviews of aviation security and border control in Belize, where smaller airstrips lack stringent passenger screening.