Wheelchair-bound man hijacks Colombian plane

BOGOTA – An armed man in a wheelchair and his son hijacked an airliner with 25 people aboard in Colombia, forcing the plane to land in Bogota before surrendering to authorities.

The two men were seen on television getting off the plane and entering a firefighters’ vehicle, four hours after the plane landed at Bogota’s El Dorado airport. The pair had released all passengers earlier but remained on board with two pilots and three negotiators.Passengers said the men claimed to be armed with grenades.The Aires airline plane, a Canadian-made Bombardier Dash 300 turboprop, was flying between two southern towns when it was commandeered.Local radio said the hijackers demanded compensation for a police search of their home 14 years ago, in which the father was wounded and crippled.They surrendered after reaching a deal with negotiators, the father, Porfirio Ramirez told reporters upon arriving at a Bogota police.Nampa-AFPThe pair had released all passengers earlier but remained on board with two pilots and three negotiators.Passengers said the men claimed to be armed with grenades.The Aires airline plane, a Canadian-made Bombardier Dash 300 turboprop, was flying between two southern towns when it was commandeered.Local radio said the hijackers demanded compensation for a police search of their home 14 years ago, in which the father was wounded and crippled.They surrendered after reaching a deal with negotiators, the father, Porfirio Ramirez told reporters upon arriving at a Bogota police.Nampa-AFP