Another jet hijacked

Press, 19 July 1983, Page 10

Another jet hijacked

NZPA Tampa A Delta Air Lines jet carrying 107 people was commandeered to Cuba yesterday by one hijacker who held a knife to a stewardess’s throat and another who ignited an aerosol spray, said passengers. It was the third hijacking to Cuba this month. Seven people were arrested in Havana, including a teenage boy and a girl, aged 12,. said a Federal

Aviation Administration official. It was the eighth American hijacking this year, despite Federal efforts to stop sky piracy and pledges by Cuban officials that hijackers face long prison terms on the communist island. No sky marshals were aboard Flight 722, on i(s way from Miami to Tampa, which landed at Jose Marti airport, Havana, yesterday morning.

While one hijacker held a knife to the throat of a stewardess, another man held a match to an aerosol spray can, igniting the gases. Those taken into custody in Cuba included men. Two women also were taken off the flight. The children had wanted to remain on board, but the senior member of the group had demanded that they should leave.