Hijacker Suggests a Trip to Hawaii
A 25-year-old man described as mentally disturbed and pretending to have a gun commandeered a London-bound Lufthansa jet Friday and offered the 108 passengers a trip to Hawaii, then surrendered to police in London.
The hijacker burst into the cockpit of the Boeing 737 minutes before it landed in London from Hamburg, West Germany, threatened to shoot the captain and demanded a jumbo jet to fly to Hawaii, police said.
He told startled passengers over the intercom, “I’ve taken over the plane. We’re going to Honolulu. I’ve ordered a jumbo jet and it’s up to you whether you come with me or get off.”
But soon after landing he surrendered to police who surrounded the jet at an isolated corner of the airport.
Police later identified the man as Nicholas Shipley from western England. He did not have a gun when arrested and he never showed one to the cabin crew, authorities said.
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