Philip Self Goldson International Airport (PGIA) officials say he was alerted to an American person who was kidnapping a small aircraft in Belize on Thursday.
According to Belize and United States officials, the man stabbed two passengers and a pilot, before one of a knife passengers shot him. The passenger was licensed to carry a gun and later converted his weapon to the police.
“We are praying for him,” Belize Police Commissioner Chester Williams told reporters. “He is our hero.”
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A scene from Philip SW Goldson International Airport in Belize City was taken on 17 April 2025. (Jose a. Through Sanchez/AFP Getty Image)
Williams recognized the kidnapper as Akinella Taylor and stated that he was an American military veteran, a report by the Associated Press. The US officer could not confirm the statement of the Belize Police Commissioner that Taylor was a military experienced.
PGIA’s statement said that there were 14 passengers and 2 crew members in the air flight from Korozal to San Pedro.
According to a statement by the Belize Airport concession company, soon after the incident began and the aircraft were circled in random directions for approximately two hours, until the end the PGA landed safely.
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On April 17, 2025, tourists row at the Tropic Air Counter at Philip Self Goldson International Airport in Belize City. (Jose a. Through Sanchez/AFP Getty Image)
US State Department spokesman Tammy Bruce said in a news briefing in Washington that the officials were still collecting information about what happened.
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“Terrible,” he said. “We are grateful, I think we are all, that it did not turn into a large -scale casualties, I believe that more than a dozen people in the aircraft. Clearly we know some details. We don’t know much.”
US officials said they did not know the motive for the kidnapping of Taylor, but were working with Belizian officials to determine what had happened.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
