Hijacker of Pan American flight 281 sentenced to 15 years in prison

[News_Editor]

Hijacker of Pan American flight 281 sentenced to 15 years in prison

2011-01-05 05:07:19 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- A 67-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison on Tuesday for his participation in the 1968 hijacking of Pan American flight 281 to Havana, Cuba, U.S. prosecutors said.

Luis Armando Peña Soltren, 67, was at-large for nearly 41 years until he voluntarily returned to the United States in October 2009. He pleaded guilty last year to participating in the hijacking of flight 281, a Puerto Rico-bound Pan American flight to Havana.

Soltren and his co-conspirators Jose Rafael Rios Cruz and Miguel Castro boarded the flight to Cuba in 1968 and, with pistols and knives at hand, forced their way to the cabin. They ordered the pilot to land in Havana.

Cruz was arrested in 1975 and Castro was apprehended in 1976. They both pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 15 and 12 years in prison, respectively. Alejandro Figueroa, who was also charged as a co-conspirator, was acquitted in 1969 after a bench-trial.

Soltren pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit air piracy, to interfere with flight crew members, and kidnap charges in March 2010. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein considered Soltren's actions to be 'considerably more serious' than those of his two co-conspirators.

"Today's sentence of Luis Armando Peña Soltren for the violent hijacking in which he participated more than four decades ago should send a strong message that we will vindicate the interests of justice no matter how long it takes," said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. "This was a heinous crime and the punishment is appropriate."

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-01-05

[ukrules]

Today's sentence of Luis Armando Peña Soltren for the violent hijacking in which he participated more than four decades ago should send a strong message that we will vindicate the interests of justice no matter how long it takes.

The message that this sends is one of rage, wrath and revenge.

Don't they have any kind of statute of limitations in the land of the free ?

Edited January 4, 2011 by ukrules

[bdenner]

At 67 he probably thought it was time to retire to more comfortable surroundings than he was used to in Cuba or wherever it was he lived.

[Ulysses G.]

Don't they have any kind of statute of limitations in the land of the free ?

Not for some crimes. They still arrest murderers and Nazis after many years. There is nothing wrong with "revenge" when it is well deserved.

[endure]

Don't they have any kind of statute of limitations in the land of the free ?

Not for some crimes. They still arrest murderers and Nazis after many years. There is nothing wrong with "revenge" when it is well deserved.

There is everything wrong with 'revenge' when it is perpetrated by the justice system. 'Revenge' belongs to banjo players in Arkansas.

[Ulysses G.]

Don't they have any kind of statute of limitations in the land of the free ?

Not for some crimes. They still arrest murderers and Nazis after many years. There is nothing wrong with "revenge" when it is well deserved.

There is everything wrong with 'revenge' when it is perpetrated by the justice system. 'Revenge' belongs to banjo players in Arkansas.

How about victims of terrible crimes? They deserve justice too and might not exactly agree with that.

[slapout]

Not sure the motive was revenge by the judicial system. If he would have been apprehended and tried within a year of the hijacking would revenge be mentioned? He broke the law and he will pay the consequences as do most law breakers. There are 'statue of limitation' on some crimes in the US but thankfully not quite as prevalent as Thailand, it seems.

[Ulysses G.]

Charles Sobhraj robbed and murdered numerous people in Thailand, but was not prosecuted because the statute of limitations ran out. Imagine how those kids families feel.

A violent high-jacking is not a minor crime.

Edited January 5, 2011 by Ulysses G.

[geriatrickid]

I am a aghast that someone would suggest that the crime be forgotten because of the "statute of Limitations". The hijackers imperil lives, terrorize defenseless PAX, cause a mess and then go off to live free lives. No. sorry. Just because someone gets away with a crime temporarily doesn't relieve him of the responsibility for that crime. It is not as if these hijackers were off caring for the sick and poor as a sign of remorse was it?

[Tinkelbell]

At 67 he probably thought it was time to retire to more comfortable surroundings than he was used to in Cuba or wherever it was he lived.

My thought exactly.

This is a slap on the face of justice of laws. I do not want my tax dollar to house this kind of criminal.

[Ulysses G.]

Charles Manson is old too. Maybe he should be out having a good old time.

[skippybangkok]

Not for some crimes. They still arrest murderers and Nazis after many years. There is nothing wrong with "revenge" when it is well deserved.

Interesting, the catholic church, brits and americans had a hand in getting alot of them to south America.

[Carib]

Not for some crimes. They still arrest murderers and Nazis after many years. There is nothing wrong with "revenge" when it is well deserved.

Interesting, the catholic church, brits and americans had a hand in getting alot of them to south America.

And to the U.S. too Look up "operation paper-clip" and see what Nazi technology did for them, but without convictions. No public outrage in the states after the secrecy failed. No talk about `well deserved` there.

[Ulysses G.]

Would most German scientists have been prosecuted for anything anyway? I don't remember any special deals for Josef Mengele.

[Carib]

Would most German scientists have been prosecuted for anything anyway? I don't remember any special deals for Josef Mengele.

Well he got some special deal; he was released by the americans in 1945, got a different name and then disappeared into south america.

[Ulysses G.]

Mengele passed himself off as a private in the German army. No one realized who he was at that point in time.

[chuckd]

"Revenge is a dish best served cold."

Marie Joseph Eugene Sue (1841)

[Renbe]

Charles Manson is old too. Maybe he should be out having a good old time.

Many people are at present making a big effort of getting Jonathan Pollard out of jail because he is old and served so many years of his

life-sentence. This inspite of the fact that due to his actions more people got killed than by the actions of Charles Manson

[Rimmer]

One off topic and unsubstantiated post removed from view