AIRCRAFT HIJACKING SAFELY RESOLVED

A Bolivian man hijacked Aeromexico Flight 576 as the Boeing 737 aircraft was en route from Cancun to Mexico City on 9 September 2009. The man threatened to detonate a bomb and demanded to speak to Mexican President Felipe Calderon to warn him about a “divine revelation” he received about a supposed impending earthquake. The aircraft landed at Mexico City International Airport, where the man held the aircraft hostage for approximately one hour before Mexican security forces stormed it and freed the 104 passengers and seven crewmembers. There were no reports of injuries among any of the passengers, who were reportedly not aware of the hijacking until the aircraft landed. Authorities have stated the hijacker is mentally unstable. Mexican security forces searched the aircraft and later determined that there were no explosives on board and that the man was only carrying a juice can with lights attached. There does not appear to have been any breach in security at Cancun International Airport, and the hijacking has not affected overall security conditions in Cancun or Mexico City.