Plane Hijacked In Mexico

Aeromexico Flight 576 from Cancun to Mexico City, with 104 passengers on board, was hijacked by what are suspected to be Colombian or Bolivian terrorists today. According to Mexican newspaper El Universal, the plane was hijacked by three individuals who demanded to speak to President Felipe Calderon, threatening to blow up the plane if their demands were not met. The suspects ordered the pilot to circle around Mexico City seven times. They were told this wasn’t possible because there wasn’t enough fuel. The plane landed at International Airport in Mexico City at approximately 1:40 PM local time and has remained on the runway since. Conflicting reports say some passengers have left the plane while others say all passengers were allowed to deboard. Meanwhile, President Calderon was en route to International Airport in Mexico City from the Presidential Gate via helicopter for a trip to Campeche for the inauguration of a hospital there.

UPDATE: All passengers appear to have been escorted off the plane safely. Some witnesses say the hijackers did not make it into the cockpit of the plane.

UPDATE: As many as 5-8 suspects being detained by Mexican millitary.

Here’s Mexican Coverage Of The Arrest Of The Hijackers

Here Is Coverage From Fox News Of The Hijackers Being Arrested

Here’s CNN Coverage of The Passengers Being Released From The Plane

The Mexican government is now saying that this has been a “very successful operation” regarding the swift grounding and rescue of the passengers and the arrest of the terrorists. Many questions remain about who they are and whether there were explosives on board.

Update: El Universal of Mexico reports that there were no explosives on the plane.