Who was Akinyela Sawa Taylor? American citizen hijacks plane in Belize, shot dead

Authorities have identified 49-year-old American Akinyela Sawa Taylor as the hijacker of a Tropic Air plane in Belize.

The individual responsible for hijacking a Tropic Air plane in Belize has been identified as 49-year-old American national Akinyela Sawa Taylor. The incident, which involved 13 passengers onboard, ended tragically when Taylor was shot in the chest and killed by a passenger carrying a licensed firearm. Authorities have since confirmed Taylor’s identity following the deadly confrontation.

The hijacker of a Tropic Air plane in Belize has been named as 49-year-old Akinyela Sawa Taylor. (@ClaudiaBryan01/X)

Why was Akinyela Sawa Taylor shot?

The police were alerted that a passenger on board had hijacked the plane right before it took off. The passenger, who was later identified as Taylor, demanded that the plane be flown out of the country and for the same, he asked for additional fuel, as reported by ABC News.

According to the police, during the incident, three passengers who were from Belize were injured by the knife. There were a total of 13 passengers on the aircraft, which included two Americans. Officials revealed that the police were updated on the situation via their connection to a passenger who sent text messages to inform the police about the situation inside the plane.

According to ABC, the aircraft was circling in the air for a long time and was almost out of fuel by the time it touched ground.

Investigation is ongoing in the Belize hijack

Authorities are still investigating how Taylor managed to board the aircraft with a knife, raising serious concerns about airport security. Despite the tense situation, all 13 passengers safely disembarked after the plane landed at Philip Goldson International Airport.

Police also revealed that Taylor had been denied entry into Belize just days earlier, and are now looking into how he was able to re-enter the country.