Hijack situation in Jamaica
 

News just filtering in. Aircraft hijack. Sitting on runway in montego bay. Pilot reportedly shot dead. Anyone has more details? Its just come on CNN

thanks qwerty
 

(CNN) -- Passengers were reportedly taken hostage on a charter flight at a Jamaican airport.

They were boarding the CanJet flight from Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay to Halifax, Canada, late Sunday when the security breach occurred, said Elizabeth Scotton, a spokeswoman for the company that manages the airport.

Scotton would not say how many hostages were being held.

About 150 people were scheduled to be on the flight, said Jamaican police Lt. Col. Derek Robinson, and it was not known how many were on the plane.

A passenger, Brenda Grenier, called her husband and said a man apparently had sneaked aboard the plane and had taken hostages. Grenier and her daughter were safe, her husband said by phone from his home in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The Jamaican police and the company's security personnel were handling the incident, Scotton said.

Lt. Damain Bromley of the police said they were waiting for more information. An airport official reported the security breach, he added

passengers released crew still onboard
 

Twitter info says passengers released 7 crew left onboard

mickjoebill

Jamaica Hi-jack.
 

Sky News are reporting a Canadian 737 has been hi-jacked, on the gound at Jamaica airport, pax freed, crew held.

Story developing.

Said to be Canadian registered a/c C-FTCZ.

Yeah brilliant ...think we are loosing track of the topic here...

Anyone know anything new, the news channels are very vague and have surprisingly little on this situation.

What is the latest on the the crew, and can anyone confirm the first post ?!?

Okay boys and girls of MKJS... how did the wapon get through security?:=

Latest from CNN, apparently nobody has been hurt.

Jamaican hostage-taker makes Cuba demand - CNN.com

(CNN) -- An armed man released all passengers but continued to hold five crew members hostage early Monday inside a charter plane at a Jamaican airport, officials said.
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/WO...art.canjet.jpg A hostage-taker commandeered a CanJet flight at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica.


http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element...er_wire_BL.gif


Police had the CanJet flight surrounded at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and were negotiating with the hostage-taker.
"His demand was to go to Cuba," said Jamaica's Information Minister Daryl Vaz.
The man's father was on the scene to help secure the release of the crew members, Vaz said. The country's Prime Minister Bruce Golding and the minister of national security also flew in by helicopter.
"All passengers have been safely removed from the aircraft, but CanJet crew and the armed man remain on board," the airline said in a statement. "Our understanding is that no harm has come to anyone remaining on board and no there has been no damage to the aircraft."
The passengers would be taken to a hotel, Vaz said. Two of the crew members had locked themselves in the cockpit, he said.
CanJet Flight 918 flew in from Halifax, Canada, and had made a scheduled landing at Montego Bay when the armed man boarded the plane late Sunday, the airline said.
The flight was carrying 182 passengers and crew. The man took an undisclosed number of them hostage, said Elizabeth Scotton, a spokeswoman for the company that manages the airport.
Christen Gosslin, a passenger on the flight, told his father that the gunman demanded cash from the plane's occupants.
"The guy wanted to have all their money," said Gosslin's father, Alphonse. "He (my son) told his girlfriend to take all the money and just take her passport and credit card and put it in her back pocket."
Christen Gosslin was part of a 25-person wedding party. He and his girlfriend were released by the hostage-taker, and they spoke to his father in New Brunswick, Canada, while waiting for another flight.
"I didn't ask them too many questions; I was more concerned for their safety," the father said. "They were a bit shaken up. It was quite an experience."
Another passenger, Brenda Grenier, called her husband and said a man apparently had sneaked aboard the plane, as airport workers were loading bags. Grenier and her daughter were safe, her husband said by phone from his home in Nova Scotia, Canada.

So the glorious BBC has just had a very quick and cut-short interview with a Jamaican Radio News Reader who confirmed that the hijacker got onto the aircraft when it was ready to leave, and that all the pax have been released.

She said that the FO and Cabin Crew were still on with the hijacker and that there was a stalemate going on in negotiations as the police had brought the hijackers father to talk to him.

Unfortunately the BBC then cuts to the riveting speech that Gordie is about to give to UK business men...brilliant...no one asks about the state of the captain.

AGAIN...thank you for all the linguistic explanations on here, but they have NOTHING to do with this topic....so pack it in..!!!!!

FRANCE 24 reported with the same jamaican radio news reader as BBC did, saying that the gun man had a mental condition and was demanding to be flown to Canada initially at the security check point...

Does this mean he made it through the check point armed, or did he already force his way through there....?!?

Nobody has been shot.. matter of fact noone at all has been hurt

i work there and i'm very concerned about the security right now :uhoh:

News reports here are saying the hijacker is demanding to go to Cuba actually. This aircraft was scheduled to travel on to Cuba, before returning to YHZ.

PM Stephen Harper is actually in Kingston to address the Jamaican Parliament today (though whether that will happen with current events is anyone's guess) and has offered the use of his Government jet to transport any stranded passengers.

Sky New reporting hikacker breached perimeter fence. Hope this is resolved peacefully and the crew are released very soon.

From the Canjet pressconference just completed:

174 passengers
all passengers were Canadian
6 crew still onboard
Canjet has not been in touch with crew
passengers who want to return today, can
unknown how the man made it through the airport with a gun onto the plane at this point
reports that a shot was fired, however unconfirmed

Apparently, the Captain has been released. The hijacker still has the FO, as well as cabin crew.

Gunman hijacks Canjet plane at Sangster Airport


Monday, April 20, 2009

A gunman last night hijacked a CanJet charter flight at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica after forcing his way through security check points.

The gunman held hostage the aircraft's eight crew members and 159 passengers who were on board at the time for a short while before releasing all passengers and two members of the crew.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/..._AIRPORT_1.gif
The CanJet plane which was hijacked Sunday night by a gunman, sits on the tarmac of the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The gunman held hostage members of the crew (eight in total) and 159 passengers who were on board at the time for a short while before releasing all passengers and two members of the crew. No member of the aircraft¹s crew or any passengers have been hurt. (Photo: Pat Roxborough-Wright

No member of the aircraft's crew or any passengers have been hurt. A news release from the police at approximately 3:45 this morning said that the passengers have all been debriefed by the Jamaican police and have been placed in local hotels. Following their debriefing, the passengers were addressed by Prime Minister Bruce Golding who assured them that everything possible was being done to enable them to return home as early as possible.

The aircraft has been isolated and the airport will continue normal operations.
CanJet flight 918, was destined for Halifax, Canada with a scheduled stop in Santa Clara, Cuba.

Gunman hijacks Canjet plane at Sangster Airport - JamaicaObserver.com

The Jamaican Police assisted by Airport Security are working to resolve the situation which has been contained up to this time. The aircraft has been isolated and the Sangster International Airport will continue with normal operations.



EagleStar

The BBC are now reporting this incident is over and the gunman is in custody.