Hijacked Cuban Plane Lands In Key West

A Cuban airliner carrying 29 passengers was hijacked at knifepoint Wednesday night and landed under U.S. military escort in Key West, U.S. authorities said.

Six hijackers took over the plane and surrendered to authorities in Key West, said FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela in Miami. They will face federal hijacking charges, she said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries among the hijackers, passengers or six crew members. Five of the passengers were minors, an airport spokesman said.

It was not immediately known what motivated the hijackers. Nor was their destination clear.

The plane departed from Cuba and air traffic controllers at Miami International Airport spotted it on radar about 7:45 p.m. They were unable to make voice contact, said FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen.

Air Force fighter jets were sent from Homestead Air Force Base and escorted the Douglas DC-3 to Key West, Bergen said.

An airport worker said he saw the plane land about 8:20 p.m.

"It was followed by three or four U.S. Navy jets. The plane sat on the runway for about 15 minutes before the doors finally opened," Robert Accerra said.

The hijackers surrendered to airport police on the tarmac, said Peter Horton, manager at Key West International Airport. Passengers were brought into the airport within a half hour.

The alleged hijackers were in FBI custody and the passengers were being interviewed by U.S. Customs agents, said sheriff's spokeswoman Becky Herrin.

"The hijackers were separated fairly quickly from the passengers and crew. Everyone's OK," she said.

The plane took off from Nueva Gerona — the principal city on the small Isle of Youth, about 185 miles southwest of Key West, according to civil aviation authorities reached by telephone in Havana late Wednesday.

The Cuban aviation authorities did not know who owned the plane, but Florida officials said it was owned by a company called Aerotaxi.

State-owned Cubana Airlines provides passenger service between Nueva Gerona and Havana, but it uses Soviet-era Antonov AN-24 planes.

The hijacking follows strained relations between the United States and the Communist-run island. Late Tuesday, the communist government announced the detentions of several dozen opponents and said U.S. diplomats may no longer move freely around the island.