Hi-Jack Attempt At JFK in NY -- Hostages being held.
- Thread starter FUD
- Start date
Additional update ... <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>IN THE END, everyone on the aircraft either escaped or was released without being injured, and the gunman walked off the plane under his own power, hand cuffed behind his back.
The surrender marked a peaceful end to a tumultuous night at one of the world’s busiest airports. Authorities from the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the New York and Port Authority police had spent hours working to convince the unidentified young man, said to be 18 to 22 years old, that he should turn himself over to authorities.
Robert Boyle, the Port Authority’s executive director, described the suspect as calm but nervous through the ordeal.
The man, armed with a handgun, walked onto National Airlines Flight 19 late Thursday night and first took the pilot and co-pilot hostage as dozens of passengers rushed the door to escape.
About an hour later the pilot emerged, and by 1 a.m. ET, Port Authority Police Chief William Cafaro said all 143 passengers and 7 crew members had escaped or been let off the aircraft, leaving only the gunman aboard.
Authorities said the suspect wished to speak with someone from the Argentine Consulate, and a spokeswoman there confirmed that police asked Ambassador Guillermo McGough to get involved.
Boyle also said the gunman asked at one point to be flown to Antarctica. Boyle described the suspect as somewhere between 18 and 22 years old, English-speaking with no identifiable accent. Witnesses said the gunman was in his 20’s and wearing a blue shirt, with dark skin and short hair.
Frank Clark, one of those who escaped, told The Associated Press he figured out what was happening when he heard someone say a man had a gun.
“I heard this bustle and commotion behind me at the door and I heard a man’s voice saying, ‘Just secure the door. Secure the door now.’” Clark said. “Then he walked right through first class at a high rate of speed toward the cockpit. People in the aisle across from me they said, ‘He’s got a gun,’ that’s when all hell broke loose and basically they beat feet and I beat feet.”
Dave Schlesinger, another passenger, saw the commotion as a police officer aimed his own weapon at the cockpit door.
“I didn’t know what was going on until I saw that SWAT team member with a shotgun. Then I knew it was serious,” Schlesinger said.
Witnesses said the flight had been delayed by fog for about an hour, but was loaded and ready to take off when the suspect boarded.
New York Police Det. Edward Reuss said the gunman, who was not immediately identified, was at Gate 33 in Terminal 4, the building from which National operates its New York flights, shortly after 10 p.m. The standoff began when he tried to walk past the security area located by the gate.
When stopped by a security supervisor, Boyle said, the suspect flashed a 9 mm handgun before sprinting some 30 or 40 feet down the jetway, onto the plane and into the cockpit. The security supervisor hit a hidden alarm button to alert airport police, who responded immediately. Authorities said he didn’t threaten anyone with the gun.
When passengers spotted the gun as the man boarded the plane, they panicked and ran for the door. At least 40 or 50 escaped, several of whom said afterward they were not sure how many passengers, if any, were left on the aircraft at first. No injuries were reported. Authorities said the gunman at some point ordered the pilot to clear the plane of passengers, who left through the airplane’s front door and through an evacuation chute in the rear of the plane.
CREW ‘SHAKEN UP’
National Airlines spokesman Dik Shimizu said airline officials believed the gunman may have been a ticketed passenger on the flight, but they could not confirm it.
“National Airlines will not speculate as to the reason for the suspect’s actions,” airline officials said in a written statement.
The pilot and co-pilot were safe and unharmed but were “shaken up,” Shimizu said, and both were were speaking to authorities. He also said the airline was working on new travel arrangements for passengers.
One witness who said he boarded the plane just before the gunman said the gunman was the last person onto the jet.
“The next thing I know I heard him say to the stewardess, ‘Secure the plane,’” the witness told WNBC-TV. “I just quietly turned around and walked off the plane.”
“He had a gun down at his side and at first it kind of stunned me,” another witness on the plane told WNBC-TV. “My two friends were on board with me and I grabbed them.”
“He went right for the cockpit,” the witness added.
Early into the morning, the jetliner sat on the tarmac surround by police cars and flashing lights. An FBI team in full military gear was on the scene.
Las Vegas-based National Airlines issued a statement saying neither pilot was injured and that customers were being taken care of. Company officials declined to speculate on a motive for the gunman taking over the plane.
Boyle said the man had contacted the Argentine Embassy earlier in the week, but he didn’t say why.
National, which began service in May 1999, provides daily nonstop flights between Las Vegas and major metropolitan areas in the United States, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami.
The company’s major investors include Rio Hotel & Casino Inc. and Harrah’s Entertainment Inc., which are both based in Las Vegas.
The company operates a fleet of 15 Boeing 757s, which seat 175 passengers. The company recently announced added service for two daily round trips between Newark and Las Vegas.
The company also has a ticketing and baggage agreement, as well as a fare agreement, with Virgin Atlantic Airways flights into Las Vegas.
MSNBC.com’s Jon Bonne, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. [/quote]
The surrender marked a peaceful end to a tumultuous night at one of the world’s busiest airports. Authorities from the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the New York and Port Authority police had spent hours working to convince the unidentified young man, said to be 18 to 22 years old, that he should turn himself over to authorities.
Robert Boyle, the Port Authority’s executive director, described the suspect as calm but nervous through the ordeal.
The man, armed with a handgun, walked onto National Airlines Flight 19 late Thursday night and first took the pilot and co-pilot hostage as dozens of passengers rushed the door to escape.
About an hour later the pilot emerged, and by 1 a.m. ET, Port Authority Police Chief William Cafaro said all 143 passengers and 7 crew members had escaped or been let off the aircraft, leaving only the gunman aboard.
Authorities said the suspect wished to speak with someone from the Argentine Consulate, and a spokeswoman there confirmed that police asked Ambassador Guillermo McGough to get involved.
Boyle also said the gunman asked at one point to be flown to Antarctica. Boyle described the suspect as somewhere between 18 and 22 years old, English-speaking with no identifiable accent. Witnesses said the gunman was in his 20’s and wearing a blue shirt, with dark skin and short hair.
Frank Clark, one of those who escaped, told The Associated Press he figured out what was happening when he heard someone say a man had a gun.
“I heard this bustle and commotion behind me at the door and I heard a man’s voice saying, ‘Just secure the door. Secure the door now.’” Clark said. “Then he walked right through first class at a high rate of speed toward the cockpit. People in the aisle across from me they said, ‘He’s got a gun,’ that’s when all hell broke loose and basically they beat feet and I beat feet.”
Dave Schlesinger, another passenger, saw the commotion as a police officer aimed his own weapon at the cockpit door.
“I didn’t know what was going on until I saw that SWAT team member with a shotgun. Then I knew it was serious,” Schlesinger said.
Witnesses said the flight had been delayed by fog for about an hour, but was loaded and ready to take off when the suspect boarded.
New York Police Det. Edward Reuss said the gunman, who was not immediately identified, was at Gate 33 in Terminal 4, the building from which National operates its New York flights, shortly after 10 p.m. The standoff began when he tried to walk past the security area located by the gate.
When stopped by a security supervisor, Boyle said, the suspect flashed a 9 mm handgun before sprinting some 30 or 40 feet down the jetway, onto the plane and into the cockpit. The security supervisor hit a hidden alarm button to alert airport police, who responded immediately. Authorities said he didn’t threaten anyone with the gun.
When passengers spotted the gun as the man boarded the plane, they panicked and ran for the door. At least 40 or 50 escaped, several of whom said afterward they were not sure how many passengers, if any, were left on the aircraft at first. No injuries were reported. Authorities said the gunman at some point ordered the pilot to clear the plane of passengers, who left through the airplane’s front door and through an evacuation chute in the rear of the plane.
CREW ‘SHAKEN UP’
National Airlines spokesman Dik Shimizu said airline officials believed the gunman may have been a ticketed passenger on the flight, but they could not confirm it.
“National Airlines will not speculate as to the reason for the suspect’s actions,” airline officials said in a written statement.
The pilot and co-pilot were safe and unharmed but were “shaken up,” Shimizu said, and both were were speaking to authorities. He also said the airline was working on new travel arrangements for passengers.
One witness who said he boarded the plane just before the gunman said the gunman was the last person onto the jet.
“The next thing I know I heard him say to the stewardess, ‘Secure the plane,’” the witness told WNBC-TV. “I just quietly turned around and walked off the plane.”
“He had a gun down at his side and at first it kind of stunned me,” another witness on the plane told WNBC-TV. “My two friends were on board with me and I grabbed them.”
“He went right for the cockpit,” the witness added.
Early into the morning, the jetliner sat on the tarmac surround by police cars and flashing lights. An FBI team in full military gear was on the scene.
Las Vegas-based National Airlines issued a statement saying neither pilot was injured and that customers were being taken care of. Company officials declined to speculate on a motive for the gunman taking over the plane.
Boyle said the man had contacted the Argentine Embassy earlier in the week, but he didn’t say why.
National, which began service in May 1999, provides daily nonstop flights between Las Vegas and major metropolitan areas in the United States, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami.
The company’s major investors include Rio Hotel & Casino Inc. and Harrah’s Entertainment Inc., which are both based in Las Vegas.
The company operates a fleet of 15 Boeing 757s, which seat 175 passengers. The company recently announced added service for two daily round trips between Newark and Las Vegas.
The company also has a ticketing and baggage agreement, as well as a fare agreement, with Virgin Atlantic Airways flights into Las Vegas.
MSNBC.com’s Jon Bonne, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. [/quote]
I feel sooo safe in airports. Reminds me of the guy that rode a City Bus to the airport here in MN when I was in college he had a AK [or was it a SKS?] slung over his shoulder on the bus.
Then when he gets to the airport, he goes inside. Then he fires several round into the air/ceiling of the airport.
[This message has been edited by Glamdring (edited July 28, 2000).]
Then when he gets to the airport, he goes inside. Then he fires several round into the air/ceiling of the airport.
[This message has been edited by Glamdring (edited July 28, 2000).]