AERO MEXICO PLANE HIGHJACKED

September 10th, 2009 by Ravi Matah | Posted in News   Comments Off on AERO MEXICO PLANE HIGHJACKED
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An Aero Mexico flight 576 from Cancun to Mexico was highjacked at Mexico airport. It was carrying 104 passengers and was hijacked on Wednesday, on the tarmac at Mexico City’s airport.

The hijacked airliner stood parked on a remote location of the tarmac at Mexico City’s airport as shown on CNN news network. 

 Three abductors — possibly Bolivians or Colombians — aboard the Boeing 737 Aeromexico jet had threatened to blow it up if their demand to speak to President Felipe Calderon is not met, CNN News reported.

The TV station added that the abductors had begun to release passengers from the jet, which had been moved to a remote area of the airport.

The incident began at 1:40 p.m. (2:40 p.m. ET), when the plane — Flight 576 — arrived from Cancun. As stated by the Mexican TV news reporter,  the highjackers, who were possibly three in number, had threatened to blow up the plane.

Mr. Calderon, the President of Mexico, was in the presidential hangar in the airport preparing to depart when the incident began, leading him to cancel his planned flight, the station said. He was going to inaugarate a hospital this afternoon.

A little while later, the passengers, approximately 100 in number, were seen coming down from the aircraft at about 3.00 PM local time. The highjackers whose actual number is still not known, released all the passengers anf later surrendered to the Mexican police. It  was later seen on the ground that at least seven people were walking with their hands behind their backs which were handcuffed and were surrounded by the security personnel.

It was later confirmed by the Mexican authorities that not a single shot was fired by the police, nor did the security forces storm the   plane, as is the usual practice in such a situation. The bomb squad also did not enter the plane. The highjackers probably got scared and gave up. All passengers were taken away in airport buses and the seven highjackers detained by the police, were taken away from the airport in an armoured car.

This highjacking has occured just two days before the 9/11 anniversary and US authorities were in close contact with their Mexican counterparts during this Mexican state emergency.

Ravi Matah

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