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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sig who wrote (88562)	4/1/2003 12:28:47 AM
From: paul_philp	Respond to of 281500

Why arent you out dancing? Lindy gets all the cute babes so I gave up. Paul

To: Sig who wrote (88562)	4/1/2003 1:24:23 AM
From: jttmab	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

I did find this recent Cuban hijacking on AP... Hijackers Seek Asylum U.S. detains 6 who forced Cuban plane to Florida Keys THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 21, 2003 Key West, Fla. - Six men were charged yesterday with hijacking a Cuban airliner at knifepoint and diverting it to the Florida Keys to seek asylum in the United States. Investigators believe the hijackers took control of the plane without telling the 25 passengers and six crew members about their asylum plans, said Jacqueline Becerra, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami. The plane landed safely Wednesday night under an escort of fighter jets and a U.S. Customs helicopter. Officials said the six, all Cubans, took control of the airliner as it headed from Cuba's Isle of Youth to Havana late Wednesday. The crew and passengers, including five children, were taken to a federal detention center near Miami after being held at Key West International Airport, the FBI said. Becerra did now know if any passengers or crew members had requested asylum. Under federal law, Cubans who arrive on U.S. soil are generally allowed to remain if they ask to. The six men each face a charge of conspiracy to seize an aircraft by force and violence, which is punishable by a minimum of 20 years in prison, prosecutors said. If acquitted, it was unclear whether the men would be deported, Becerra said. The United States has jurisdiction in the case because the plane was taken to and landed in the United States, Becerra said. The Cuban Foreign Ministry has demanded the return of the plane and all those who were aboard, including the hijackers. The men, arraigned before a federal magistrate yesterday, were to be jailed without bond until their next court appearance Tuesday. As they were being led to their holding cells, they were asked by reporters why they took over the plane. Each replied, "For freedom." Shortly after the airplane took off, the hijackers, some armed with knives, broke down the cockpit door, displaced four of the crew and restrained them with tape and rope, FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela said. They then ordered the two pilots to fly to Key West, she said. newsday.com