WORLD BRIEFING / JAMAICA
A disoriented young man with a gun forced his way past security and barged onto a jetliner headed for Cuba, taking the crew hostage, firing a bullet that grazed the co-pilot’s face and demanding to be flown off the island, witnesses and police said.
After eight hours of negotiations, Jamaican soldiers stormed the plane and arrested the man without further injury, but authorities were deeply embarrassed about the security breach at the airport in Montego Bay, a major Caribbean tourist hub.
The gunman was identified as Stephen Fray, a 20-year-old Jamaican who police said was “mentally challenged.” Fray boarded CanJet Airlines Flight 918 about 10:20 p.m. Sunday.
Jamaican Information Minister Daryl Vaz said Fray had demanded to be flown to Cuba. The flight’s next stop was Santa Clara, Cuba. But witnesses said Fray wanted to reach America.
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