July 27, 2000—Commandeering—National Airlines—United States
An armed individual walked past a security checkpoint at New York’s JFK International Airport and on to National
Airlines flight 019. The incident happened in Terminal 4 at approximately 2230 hours local, as passengers were
boarding the Boeing 757-200 aircraft for a flight to Las Vegas, Nevada. The man showed his weapon, a Smith and
Wesson 10 mm handgun, when challenged by a checkpoint screener, and then ran on to the jetway. He encountered
a flight attendant and ordered her to close the plane’s access door. The gunman then entered the plane behind the
first class passenger section and immediately went to the cockpit with his gun drawn. He put the gun to the pilot’s
head and ordered him to fly south. First class passengers noticed the man’s gun as he went down the aisle and began
to leave the plane. Flight attendants in the rear of the cabin deployed chutes to allow other passengers to deplane.
Approximately 124 of 142 passengers and seven crew members were on the plane at the time of this incident.
Police arrived within minutes of being notified, surrounded the plane, and began negotiations with the gunman. The
pilot was initially told by the gunman to fly to Miami, Florida, but the gunman later said that he wanted to be flown
to Antarctica. He also demanded to speak to someone from the Argentine Embassy. The pilot was released shortly
after midnight and the copilot was released about 40 minutes later. The gunman peacefully surrendered at around
0330 hours local, July 28, and was taken into custody. He was arraigned in U.S. District Court, Brooklyn, on July
28 and charged with air piracy. He was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

January 20, 2000—General Aviation Aircraft Robbery—Australia
Two men armed with shotguns fled with cash and documents after holding up a light aircraft moments after it landed
at Brewarrina Airport in New South Wales. The men, clad in overalls and full-faced balaclavas, sped onto the
airport tarmac just as the plane taxied to a halt. The pilot of the Navajo twin-engine aircraft and two women who
were there to collect the flight’s cargo were handcuffed to a nearby perimeter fence. The pilot received minor
injuries in the incident. While the well-organized thieves targeted the aircraft on its daily “bank run,” the cargo
consisted mostly of documents rather than a large amount of cash. The vehicle used in the getaway later was found
abandoned and burned 40 kilometers from the airport.

February 29, 2000—Hijacking—China Southwest Airlines—China
A Chinese man was overpowered after trying to hijack a domestic China Southwest Airlines flight. The plane was
en route to the southwestern coastal city of Fuzhou from Chengdu via Nanchang, where the hijacker had boarded.Shortly before the plane was to land in Fuzhou, the man pulled out a bottle of gasoline, a cigarette lighter, and a
knife. He demanded that the B-737 aircraft be flown to Taiwan and reportedly threatened crew members with the
knife. The hijacker was overpowered by crew members, however, and the plane landed safely at Fuzhou Airport.
Extra security personnel were on hand to take charge of the aircraft and hijacker. Subsequent reporting suggested
that Chinese security officers who may have been on the flight, rather than crew members, had overpowered the
hijacker. The hijacker was reported to have a history of mental problems. He apparently felt slighted by his
supervisors at the Agricultural Technical Department and believed that Taiwan would be a better place to work.

March 14, 2000—Attack—Salle Airport—Nepal
Nepalese Maoist rebels unsuccessfully attempted to capture Salle Airport. Windows of the airport were broken and
there was damage to police assets, but there were no injuries. Flights to the airport were not impeded by the attack.

July 27, 2000—Abduction of Pilots—Fiji *
Two pilots were taken hostage by supporters of Fiji coup leader George Speight at the airport in Savusavu, a small
town on the southern coast of the island of Vanua Levu. At least one of the hostage-takers was armed, but the pilots
were not injured in the incident. The hostages were taken briefly to a hotel in Savusavu and then moved to a nearby
village. There were no demands announced by the hostage-takers, and the pilots were subsequently released. This
was the first time that foreigners had been taken hostage by supporters of Speight.

August 1, 2000—Takeover—Wamena Airport—Indonesia
Approximately 100 members of the Papua Task Force (PTF), an Irian Jaya pro-independence civilian militia, took
over an airport in the highlands town of Wamena, capital of Jayawijaya district, Irian Jaya. The PTF members
reportedly came to the airport following rumors that refugees fleeing violence were to arrive by aircraft from
Indonesia’s Maluku Islands. PTF members armed with bows, arrows, and clubs forced their way past airport
security. They set up their own guards at the airport’s entrances and exits, as well as in the waiting room and check-in
areas. Dozens of PTF members ransacked the luggage of passengers bound for Jayapura, the provincial capital of
Irian Jaya. Passengers seeking to buy tickets were either searched or otherwise prevented from departing. On
August 5, police regained control of the airport.

September 16, 2000—Commandeering—Solomon Airlines—Solomon Islands
A 16-seat Britten Norman Islander aircraft and its pilot were seized by a faction of the Isatabu Freedom Movement
(IFM) militia group. The incident happened following the plane’s scheduled landing at an isolated airstrip in
Babanakira on the island of Guadalcanal. The IFM faction demanded two million Solomon dollars for the pilot’s
release and set a deadline of September 19. The IFM also threatened to kill the pilot and blow up the aircraft if the
demand was not met. An IFM spokesman said that the hijacking was a result of dissatisfaction over the failure of
the deputy prime minister to fulfill the many promises he had made. The commandeering took place just three days
after the Solomon Islands government had paid another militia group, the Malaita Eagle Force (MEF), $180,000
(Australian). The payment was to encourage the MEF to return to their villages on Malaita island as part of peace
talks between the two militia groups.
The pilot of the commandeered plane was subsequently released unharmed by the rebels on October 6 without the
ransom having been paid. The plane was believed to have been hidden in the dense jungle and was not recovered.
This commandeering is a politically-motivated incident.
September 27, 2000—Hijacking—Xinhua Airlines—China
A Xinhua Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft was hijacked by a passenger reportedly armed with a knife and what later
was determined to be a fake handgun. The plane was on a domestic flight from Baotou in Inner Mongolia to
Beijing. The hijacker demanded to be taken “south,” and the crew complied in order not to endanger the safety of
the passengers. As the aircraft neared Jinan, Shandong Province, the aircraft was low on fuel. The hijacker
reportedly panicked and stabbed both the captain and copilot. He was subsequently shot and killed by a Chinese air
marshal. The copilot, despite his stab wounds, was able to land the plane at Jinan Airport.
November 1, 2000—Hijacking—North Coast Aviation—Papua New Guinea
A North Coast Aviation aircraft en route from Wau to Port Moresby was hijacked and its cargo of gold stolen. Two
men armed with guns forced the pilot to land at Garaina Airport, where a group of waiting men then stole the gold
aboard the plane. The pilot was unharmed and was able to fly to Port Moresby. According to police, the plane had
been transporting approximately 15 kilograms of gold from mines in the Wau area.
November 9, 2000—Bombing—Vientiane Airport—Laos
A homemade explosive device containing gunpowder and buckshot exploded outside the entrance to the domestic
terminal at Vientiane’s Wattay Airport. The device had been placed on a bicycle parked outside the terminal. No
one was killed in the attack, although eight Lao bystanders were injured. There were no claims of responsibility for
the bombing, which was at least the eighth to take place in the capital since late March.

November 17, 2000—Charter Aircraft Hijacking—Thailand
A Vietnamese-American chartered an aircraft at a small airport south of Bangkok on the pretext of taking flying
lessons. Once on board, however, the man told the pilot that he was carrying a hand grenade. He threatened to
detonate the grenade unless the pilot diverted the plane across the Gulf of Thailand to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
After flying low in order to evade radar detection, the pilot was forced to make several low passes over the city as
the hijacker threw out leaflets. These leaflets resembled the South Vietnamese flag and exhorted the Vietnamese
people to rise up against their communist leaders. En route back to Thailand, the aircraft ran low on fuel and the
pilot was forced to make an emergency landing at a military airstrip in U Tapao, Thailand. The hijacker, who was
arrested upon arrival, denied that he had forced the Thai pilot to make the flight against his will. He claimed instead
that the pilot was willing to fly him to Vietnam in exchange to a cash payment of (U.S.) $10,000.
The hijacker was identified as a former South Vietnamese fighter who, in September 1992, hijacked a Vietnamese
Airlines plane to drop anticommunist leaflets over Ho Chi Minh City. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison but
was released by presidential amnesty in 1998 after serving six years. In January 2000, this individual also
reportedly flew from Florida to Cuba to drop anticommunist leaflets.
This charter aircraft hijacking is a politically-motivated incident.

November 11, 2000—Hijacking—Vnukovo Airlines—Russia to Israel
Vnukovo Airlines flight 838 was seized by a hijacker during a domestic flight between Makhachkala, Dagestan, and
Moscow. The hijacker claimed to have an explosive device, with which he threatened to blow up the plane, and
demanded to be taken to Israel. The plane, a TU-154 aircraft with 49 passengers and 10 crew members, landed at
Baku, Azerbaijan, for refueling. While at Baku the hijacker demanded only fuel and maps and refused to negotiate,
and the plane departed after about two hours. Although there was only one hijacker, confusion existed as to whether
others were on board and what their motive was. Because the plane departed from Dagestan, it was thought that
there might be a connection to the fighting in Chechnya.
Israeli authorities initially denied permission for the plane to land at Tel Aviv because of fears that it might be blown
up over the city. Because the pilot sounded “very pressured” and because of the plane’s low fuel supply, authorities
permitted the aircraft to land at the Uvda Air Force Base in the Negev Desert. An Israeli Air Force plane escorted
the hijacked plane to the base. The hijacker surrendered upon landing. It was then discovered that he was alone and
that his “bomb” was a blood pressure gauge. The hijacker told authorities that he was fighting against world
domination by Asians and that he wanted to deliver a message to the Japanese emperor.
The plane, its passengers and crew, and the hijacker were returned to Russia.

March 27, 2000—Attempt to Crash Aircraft—Canary Islands *
A passenger, reportedly apparently drunk, forced his way into the cockpit of LTU flight 1407 and attacked the pilot.
The Boeing 737 aircraft, carrying 143 passengers and five crew, had been chartered by the German company LTU.
At the time of the attack, the plane was en route from Tenerife, Canary Islands, to Schoenefeld Airport in Berlin,
Germany. The plane briefly lost altitude because of the attack on the pilot, but the copilot was able to regain control
as other crew members and four passengers subdued the man. Because the pilot had been injured, the copilot
finished the flight to Schoenefeld without further incident. Upon landing, the attacker was taken into police custody.
The man faked a fainting spell upon being placed into custody and briefly escaped from police while being taken
away in an ambulance. He was quickly recaptured and was taken to a psychiatric clinic near Berlin.
Officials are not entirely sure what the man’s motive was but believe he intended to crash the aircraft. The man has
been diagnosed with severe psychotic problems and, according to officials, it is unlikely he planned the attack before
getting on the plane. A German court subsequently declined prosecution, recommending instead that the man
receive treatment.
July 17, 2000—Hijacking—British Airways—Switzerland to England
British Airways City Flyer Express flight 8106 was hijacked while en route to London’s Gatwick Airport from
Zurich, Switzerland. The hijacking occurred as the plane, a British Aerospace RJ 146 aircraft, was preparing for
descent into Gatwick. The hijacker, armed with a large pair of scissors, grabbed a flight attendant by the hair and
placed the scissors blades to her throat. He apparently was distraught over having failed earlier to obtain political
asylum in Britain. He claimed to have a bomb concealed in a “Walkman”-type cassette tape player and threatened
to detonate it if not granted asylum. During the plane’s descent, the pilot left the cockpit, convinced the man to
release the flight attendant, and calmed him. The plane made an emergency landing at Gatwick and proceeded to a
remote area of the airport, where authorities arrested the hijacker. None of the flight’s 95 passengers or six crew
members was injured.

February 16, 2000—Attack—Urrao Airport—Colombia
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas attacked a small airport in Urrao, a town located 160
kilometers west of Medellin. The guerrillas took control of the airport and set off an explosive charge causing
damage to the runway and passenger terminal. An Aerolineas Centrales de Colombia (ACES Colombia) flight from
Medellin was preparing to land when the assault occurred. The landing was aborted and the plane returned to
Medellin. Passengers waiting to board the flight took shelter in a shed at the airport. None of the waiting
passengers was hurt in the attack, but a local resident and an ACES Colombia employee were slightly injured.
ACES Colombia suspended all flights from Medellin to Urrao because of damage to the airport.
February 19, 2000—Hijacking—Aerotaca—Colombia
An armed prisoner hijacked a Colombian Aerotransportes Casanare SA (Aerotaca) plane, forced it to land at a
remote airstrip, and then fled into the jungle with a hostage. The Beechcraft 1900 aircraft was carrying 17
passengers and two crew members on a domestic flight from Bucaramanga to Cucuta. The prisoner was escorted
aboard the plane by two armed police guards but was not handcuffed. Approximately eight minutes after takeoff
from Palo Negro Airport, the hijacker produced a knife. He forced the pilots to land the plane at an airstrip near El
Tornillo, located approximately 150 kilometers north of Bogota. The hijacker then fled into the jungle, taking one
of the guards as a hostage. A right-wing paramilitary unit observed the plane land at the airstrip, chased and killed
the hijacker, and released the hostage.
July 7, 2000—Robbery of Aircraft—Brazil *
A group of 15 heavily-armed men stormed the tarmac at Brasilia’s International Airport and stole about (U.S.)
$500,000 in gold from a Viacao Aérea de Sao Paulo (VASP) airliner. The incident occurred as the plane was about
to take off with 70 passengers bound for Porto Alegre. The perpetrators entered the tarmac area through a cargo
hanger and forced open the plane’s cargo hold. After a brief shoot-out with airport guards, the thieves escaped
through the cargo hanger in three cars. Gunshots pierced the hull of the airplane and scared the passengers, who
were not aware that the plane was transporting gold. There were no injuries. While the theft of cargo from airplanes
is not uncommon, this incident is unique in that it involved a major air carrier and an international airport.
July 15, 2000—General Aviation Commandeering—Venezuela
The son of the owner of Servivensa and Aerovias Venezolanas (Avensa) airlines was taken hostage and the plane he
was flying seized by approximately 12 individuals. The plane, a Beechcraft King 90 aircraft, was owned by
Servivensa. Shortly after the owner’s son landed the plane on an airstrip that adjoined his property outside Valencia,
Carabobo State, the kidnappers appeared and took him and the plane with them.
The kidnappers subsequently made several ransom demands but there is no information that the hostage was
released. Authorities believe that this incident was initiated by a Colombian drug cartel that recruited several
criminals to steal the plane for use in drug trafficking operations.
August 16, 2000—Hijacking—VASP—Brazil
Eight men hijacked a VASP airliner and stole the equivalent of almost (U.S.) $3 million from the cargo hold. The
Boeing 737-200 aircraft had just taken off from Foz de Iguacu with 60 passengers en route to Curitiba when the
hijackers took over the plane. The men forced the pilot to land on a remote airstrip in the northern forests of Parana
and fled with the money bags in a waiting getaway vehicle. The pilot then flew the plane to Londrina, which was
closer than the original destination, and was immediately surrounded by police units upon landing. All the hijackers
had fled from the plane at the airstrip, however. Although at least one shot was fired during the incident there were
no injuries. Because the hijackers boarded the plane as passengers, police suspect that they were aided by airport
employees in smuggling aboard their weapons. The alleged leader of the hijackers, a key Brazilian drug dealer, was
arrested on August 29.

September 8, 2000—Hijacking—Aires S. A.—Colombia
An armed man forced the crew of Colombia’s Aires S. A. flight 8092 to divert from its Nieva-to-Florencia route.
The man, a prisoner being transported to Florencia to stand trial, obtained a pistol hidden in one of the aircraft’s
lavatories and then gained access to the cockpit. He forced the plane to land in San Vicente del Caguan, an area in
the demilitarized zone that is controlled by FARC rebels. Authorities claim that the prisoner was a FARC member
and was taken off the aircraft in San Vicente del Caguan by the insurgency group. The plane was then allowed to
continue to Florencia. None of the 25 passengers or crew was harmed. FARC denied that the prisoner was a
member of their organization. The group later refused to return the hijacker, stating that they themselves would deal
with him. No further information is available.
September 19, 2000—Theft of Aircraft—Cuba *
A Cuban Antonov AN-2 aircraft, which was initially reported by the Cuban government as having been hijacked,
crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. Following interviews with the nine survivors (one death occurred as a result of the
crash), U.S. authorities concluded that there was no evidence that the commuter aircraft had been hijacked. Instead,
the pilot and other passengers stole the plane to escape from Cuba. The plane ran out of fuel while en route to the
United States and crashed into the water.

These are just of the Non-Arab incidents which occurred in the year 2000. I also left out incidents in the Philippines as much of the turmoil there involves Muslims (though non-Arab).