Tag: hijackings

Florida Judge Frees Illegal Migrant Plane Hijacker Awaiting Deportation

A Clinton-appointed U.S. District Judge in Florida ordered the immediate release of Maikel Guerra Morales, an illegal migrant convicted for the 2003 hijacking of a passenger plane, and set him free on American streets.

Prior to his release, Guerra Morales was under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, pending deportation proceedings, after he finished serving his 22-year prison sentence in December.

Maikel Guerra Morales is one of six Cuban nationals convicted in December 2003 for their role in the March 19, 2003, hijacking of a commercial flight in Nueva Gerona, Cuba. At the time, witnesses reportedly testified that the hijackers broke into the cockpit door and held a knife to the pilot’s throat — demanding that he redirect the 37-passenger plane to land in Key West, Florida.

Guerra Morales served a 22-year prison sentence on charges of aircraft piracy and conspiracy to interfere with a flight crew. The Cuban national finished serving his sentence in December 2025, after which he was placed under ICE custody to undergo deportation proceedings.

The New York Post reported on Monday that Florida Judge John E. Steele ordered the Cuban national’s release under supervision from ICE custody on July 8. Judge Steele was appointed to his position during the Democrat administration of former President Bill Clinton.

The New York Post reported that ICE intended to deport Guerra Morales to Mexico but, according to court documents, he “might end up directly in Cuba.” Following his release, he is reportedly believed to be living in Miami.

Guerra Morales briefly spoke with Telemundo after the judge ordered his release and affirmed, “If the judge didn’t get tough, ICE wouldn’t have let me go.” He asserted to Telemundo that he spent 33 days at the immigration detention center in Florida dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” and was subsequently transferred to the Krome Processing Center in South Florida. According to Telemundo, Guerra Morales was released wearing an electronic ankle bracelet.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a statement on Tuesday condemning the Judge Steele-ordered release of the criminal illegal alien.

“This activist judge forced ICE to release a criminal illegal alien who was convicted and sentenced to 22 years for hijacking a plane back into American communities,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said. “This is yet another example of an activist judge trying to thwart President Trump’s mandate from the American people to remove criminal illegal aliens from our country.”

“Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, DHS will continue to fight for the detention and removal of criminal illegal aliens who have no right to be in our country,” Bis added.

DHS noted that a Department of Justice (DOJ) Immigration Judge issued a final order for the removal of Maikel Guerra Morales on March 1, 2023 — acknowledging that ICE took custody of the Cuban national at the end of his prison sentence on December 2025.

Reports published in 2003 identified Maikel Guerra Morales as the brother of the hijacking’s alleged ringleader, Alexis Norniella Morales. The siblings testified that “everyone on board was in on the plot, with five knives used only as props.”

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New York DA Indicts Uzbek Truck Hijackers in $4.5 Million Theft Ring

Authorities in New York have busted a truck cargo hijacking ring allegedly run by Uzbek national Murodullo “Murad” Khasanov that they say has stolen at least $4.5 million in cargo.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has handed down indictments for Khasanov and seven of his associates in a scheme using warehouse insiders who passed the crooks tips about what sort of cargo was being stored in their facilities. With that insider info, the crooks forged fake transit papers and then simply drove in and picked up the merchandise, then drove off without any questions asked.

Authorities also say the crooks hacked into warehouse computer systems to create their fake transit documents.

The ring stole a wide variety of expensive products including high-end cheeses, copper wire, meats, and cigarettes.

The DA’s office has focused on six thefts totaling $4.5 million.

The suspects are all from the country of Uzbekistan, which is a northern neighbor of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan and is about 800 miles from Iran’s northern border.

Alleged ringleader Khasanov was taken into custody on Wednesday morning during a raid on his ritzy Surf Avenue high-rise apartment in New York City, according to the New York Post.

All eight of the suspects arrested in the scheme are in the U.S. illegally and entered the country during the Biden administration. Officials also say they speak little to no English.

The indictment alleges that the crew stole $165,000 worth of lamb, $266,000 worth of copper, $295,000 worth of beef, $432,000 worth of cheese, and $3.3 million worth of cigarettes. The crooks then reportedly moved to sell the items on the black market.

“What is very disturbing here is that the victims, the owners of the goods and the legitimate shipping companies had no idea this was occurring until the damage is done,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at Thursday’s press conference.

“We believe at least some of the food was meant for grocery stores, like a Costco for example. When food orders go missing and shelves are empty, prices go up,” he added.

Some of the stolen items were recovered and found in a storage facility in New York City.

Suspects Nodir Kobilov and Aleksey Vorobyev pleaded not guilty at their arraignment in court on Thursday morning. Both were given supervised release.

But prosecutors insisted that Khasanov — the alleged ringleader who also has an Interpol “red-notice” out against him — be held on $1.5 million cash bail. A judge ruled that he be held at least until June 11 for his bail application hearing.

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United Airlines Flight to Minneapolis Diverted Due to Failed Hijack Attempt

A United Airlines flight traveling from Chicago to Minneapolis diverted to Madison, Wisc., after an unruly passenger made multiple attempts to reach the cockpit, prompting the flight crew to declare a security emergency.

United Flight UA2005, a Boeing 737 carrying 147 passengers and six crew members, landed safely at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison on May 29, with no injuries reported.

According to air traffic control communications, the passenger made repeated attempts to access the cockpit before law enforcement officers who were traveling aboard the aircraft were able to restrain him. The pilot activated transponder code 7500, the emergency signal used to indicate a potential hijacking or unlawful interference with an aircraft.

The passenger, whom authorities identified as a 75-year-old man experiencing a mental health crisis, was detained after the aircraft landed. A United spokesperson told NBC News that Flight UA2005 “landed safely in Madison… to address a security concern with an unruly passenger.”

The Dane County Sheriff’s Office deputies took the individual into custody, and the FBI was notified of the investigation. Passenger Mike Rundle told CNN that a disturbance occurred near the front of the aircraft after another traveler observed the man reach toward a flight attendant. Several passengers and officers intervened and escorted him back to his seat.

In air traffic communications that NBC News acquired, flight crew onboard the plane could be heard discussing the attempted cockpit breach with ground control.

“I do not believe they ever cuffed him, but they were able to finally get control of him after multiple attempts to try to breach the cockpit,” a member of the crew said. “I believe at this point he is seated in a seat and flanked with law enforcement officers on either side.”

Rundle said signs of trouble emerged before takeoff from Chicago O’Hare International Airport, when the suspect repeatedly stood during taxiing and crew members sought a Russian-speaking passenger to assist with interpretation.

After landing in Madison, law enforcement officers boarded the aircraft, removed the passenger, and conducted their response. The flight later resumed its trip to Minneapolis, landing early on Saturday morning, data from FlightAware confirmed.

According to FlightAware tracking data, Flight UA2005 had been airborne for roughly 45 minutes after departing Chicago before the incident occurred. The FBI said its Madison Resident Agency and local law enforcement partners responded immediately to the incident. 

“A subject was detained by the Dane County Sheriff’s Office and afterwards passengers resumed their flight,” a spokesperson for the FBI’s Milwaukee office told NBC News.

Authorities have not released the passenger’s name, announced charges, or disclosed additional details about the events that led to his detention. The Federal Aviation Administration said it investigates all passenger disturbance incidents and may pursue civil penalties against passengers who interfere with flight crews. According to the agency, airlines have reported more than 640 unruly passenger incidents so far this year.

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Second Plane Grounded, Isolated, and Declared a ‘Potential Hijacking Incident’ in Atlanta

Just hours after an American Airlines flight was diverted to Detroit with a disruptive passenger prompting an FBI response, a second U.S. commercial flight declared a potential hijacking incident upon landing in Atlanta on Sunday evening.

Frontier Airlines Flight 2539 (flight number F92539), an Airbus A320 flying from Columbus, Ohio (CMH) to Atlanta (ATL), landed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport around 5:09 p.m.

Shortly after touchdown, the crew declared a potential hijacking and security concern.

The aircraft was immediately directed to isolation away from normal airport traffic and followed by emergency vehicles to an inactive runway.

Video and tracking data show the plane remained isolated on the remote runway for nearly two hours as law enforcement and airport personnel responded.

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Previously Unreleased Audio Recording from D.B. Cooper Skyjacking Case Revealed

An incredible previously unreleased audio recording from the infamous D.B. Cooper skyjacking case has been revealed, allowing listeners to eavesdrop on some critical moments during the legendary caper. Researchers Nicholas Broughton and Ryan Burns received the remarkable relic from a source, who has asked to remain anonymous. The audio is derived from badly degraded cassette tapes, which this individual had in their possession for several decades. The duo were provided with around forty minutes of total audio, but only twelve minutes were able to be restored to a listenable condition with the hope that more of the recording can be recovered in the future.

Northwest Airlines, which owned the plane Cooper skyjacked that fateful 1971 Thanksgiving Eve, created the audio by splicing together recordings of two separate radio frequencies used when the passenger jet stopped at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac). It was during this period that the passengers and most of the flight crew were released from the plane, the requested $200,000 ransom and parachutes were delivered to Cooper, and the airliner was refueled in anticipation of continuing the flight to Mexico City. In the newly released audio, Captain William Scott, Co-Pilot Bill Rataczak, and Al Lee, Chief Pilot for Northwest Airlines and chosen courier for the skyjacking spoils, can be heard initially discussing a “contingency plan” wherein the remaining crew would make a run for it “if that opportunity avails itself.”

Later in the recording, the tension of the moment is palpable as problems with the refueling process caused a considerable delay on the ground and consternation from Cooper. “We do want the fuel truck to come up, dammit,” Rataczak sternly relays to the Sea-Tac tower as the mounting issues required multiple vehicles. “He’s getting awfully antsy,” the co-pilot reports of Cooper as they wait for the airliner to be ready for takeoff. During the delay, Scott notes specific gear settings that the skyjacker requested for the flight and muses, “he seems to know a little bit about an airplane.” Shortly thereafter, the Sea-Tac tower suggests the incident could be a copy of a similar skyjacking involving a parachute that occurred on an Air Canada flight earlier in the month.

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Gunmen Hijack 33 Tons of Gold, Silver Concentrate in Truck on Mexican Highway

Authorities in Mexico are remaining tightlipped about how a team of gunmen was able to hijack a truck carrying 33 tons of gold and silver concentrate. The high-stakes robbery comes as Mexico’s government continues to claim that public safety is improving and that the country is safe.

The robbery took place on Monday when a tractor-trailer carrying minerals was traveling from the Mexican state of Durango to the Port of Manzanillo in Colima State, where it was expected to be shipped out. However, while the truck was moving through the state of Jalisco, a group of gunmen in at least two vehicles intercepted the truck, overpowered the security detail, and kidnapped the driver.

According to information released by Grupo Bacis, the mining company that owned the precious metals, the gunmen held the security detail and driver for almost two hours while they stealing the cargo. After the gunmen released the victims, they made their way to a nearby tollbooth where they asked for help.  Mexican authorities were able to find the tractor-trailer soon after, but the cargo was gone. The company has not placed a value on the stolen cargo; however, it is expected to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

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Gavin Newsom Awards Antiterrorism Grant to Mosque Linked to 9/11 Hijackers, Pro-Hamas Cleric

California governor Gavin Newsom (D.) recently awarded taxpayer funds under a state antiterrorism program to a San Diego mosque that has been linked to 9/11 hijackers and whose imam defended the Hamas attack on Israel.

Newsom, considered a top 2028 presidential contender, awarded nearly $200,000 to the Islamic Center of San Diego in March as part of a program to help religious institutions and nonprofits beef up security to protect against potential terrorist attacks, according to state records.

“Today more than ever, our state stands together to support our communities. Californians deserve the right to worship, love, and gather safely, without fear of violence,” said Newsom, whose administration has given another $500,000 to the San Diego mosque in previous years.

The Islamic Center of San Diego, led by Imam Taha Hassane, has condoned anti-Israel violence over the years. Hassane, who joined the center in 2004, defended Hamas’s slaughter of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, saying in a sermon weeks later that “resistance [against Israel] is justified,” the Washington Free Beacon previously reported.

“We cannot accuse somebody who is fighting for his life to be a terrorist. The terrorist is the one who started the occupation, not the one who is defending himself,” said Hassane, whose remarks prompted his removal from San Diego’s Human Relations Commission.

Hassane’s wife, Lallia Allali, resigned from her job with the San Diego school district after she posted a cartoon following the Oct. 7 attacks that showed a Star of David beheading five children. She currently teaches courses on “Islamophobia” at the Islamic Center of San Diego.

The Islamic Center of San Diego gained notoriety in the wake of 9/11 after revelations that two of the al Qaeda operatives who flew the plane that hit the Pentagon—Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar—prayed regularly at the mosque. An official at the mosque also allegedly helped the terrorists receive a $5,000 wire transfer from the nephew of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of 9/11. Other mosque leaders hosted a welcoming party for the hijackers when they arrived in San Diego in 2000, according to the 9/11 Commission report.

Newsom awarded the grant as California faces a steep budget shortfall. State leaders acknowledged in a press release regarding the antiterrorism program that it comes amid “significant budget challenges” for the state.

The office that oversees the grant program—the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services—is the same one that oversees the state’s wildfire mitigation program. Newsom faced criticism following a Free Beacon report that he shut down a highly trained volunteer firefighting force called Team Blaze a year before the Los Angeles wildfires devastated the city in January.

Newsom has awarded grants to other mosques that preach anti-Israel and anti-Semitic hate, the Free Beacon previously reported.

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American Hijacks Plane In Belize, Demanded Fuel & New Flight Path Out Of Country

An American citizen identified as Akinyela Sawa Taylor hijacked a Cessna 208 Grand Caravan with 14 souls on board in Belize on Thursday. 

Taylor held the pilot at knifepoint and demanded a new flight path out of the country. He also demanded more fuel for the plane, according to ABC News, citing local law enforcement.

According to police, the crazed American was fatally shot in the chest by a passenger carrying a licensed firearm. 

The Cessna 208 had been circling near Belize City at the time of the incident and nearly ran out of fuel. 

Authorities said three passengers—all Belizean nationals—sustained knife wounds. There were two other Americans on board. 

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D.B. Cooper Researcher Casts Considerable Doubt on Parachute Discovery Claim

A dedicated D.B. Cooper researcher has cast considerable doubt on the alleged discovery of the legendary skyjacker’s parachute, pointing out several flaws surrounding the suspected evidence which suggest that it did not play a role in the crime. The remarkable claim made earlier this week spawned worldwide headlines with many wondering if the longstanding mystery surrounding the 1971 caper was on the cusp of finally being solved. However, many in the diverse D.B. Cooper research community expressed skepticism at the fantastic development with one in particular, Ryan Burns, releasing a detailed video (seen above) wherein he makes the case that “this is unquestionably not” the parachute used by the skyjacker.

Citing contemporaneous media accounts and the voluminous FBI files concerning the crime, he noted that the parachutes provided to Cooper were repeatedly said to have been missing two specific features: D-Rings and capewells. Alas, these two pieces are present on the recently unearthed rig. Additionally, he indicated that the parachute harness model provided to Cooper during the caper was from the Navy rather than the Air Force, which is the case with the newfound alleged evidence. These three factors, among other aspects of the account, led Burns to conclude that the headline-making parachute could not have come from the 1971 skyjacking.

As to the possibility that it was used in the caper and then significantly altered sometime later, Burns dismissed that scenario as implausible. For that to be the case, he explained, suspect Richard McCoy Jr would have had to both keep a damning piece of evidence and subsequently enlist “a master parachute rigger to have all these modifications done to it.” If Burns’ assessment is correct, one wonders why the FBI seized the item since their own files would appear to indicate that it is not a genuine piece of evidence. While the agency could answer that question, previous instances of the federal government getting involved in longstanding mysteries, such as the still-contentious Pennsylvania treasure hunt from a few years ago, suggest that they may less than forthcoming on the matter.

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Suspected D.B. Cooper Parachute Draws FBI Interest

A parachute found on the family property of a longstanding D.B. Cooper suspect has drawn interest from the FBI, which seized the intriguing item that some contend could be a breakthrough clue in the legendary cold case. As detailed in a lengthy piece by Cowboy State Daily, the remarkable discovery was made by researcher and YouTuber Dan Gryder, who believes that the skyjacker was a man named Richard McCoy II. Permitted to search the family’s property a few years ago, Gryder unearthed the parachute from a crate in a shed. Last week, he revealed that his videos about the discovery had caught the attention of federal authorities, who asked to speak with the researcher.

According to Gryder, he and McCoy’s son met with the FBI in September of last year wherein agents seized the curious canopy that could be connected to the Cooper caper. The following month, the agency conducted an extensive search of the property where the parachute had been found. Musing that “it’s a good sign that they’re taking this seriously,” McCoy’s son revealed that the FBI also collected a DNA sample from him with the suggestion that they may eventually have to exhume his father’s body should it prove necessary. To date, however, the agency has given no indication as to what their recent investigation has uncovered, though paperwork furnished by Gryder confirms that they did confiscate the parachute.

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