| | |  Americas & Beyond | October 2009 
Cuba Fugitive in 1968 US Hijacking Surrenders
 Agence France-Presse
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October 12, 2009
| | Pena Soltren is accused of hijacking a PanAm flight out of New York and diverting the Puerto Rico-bound plane to Havana. (Agence France-Presse) | |
New York — A US man who fled to Cuba 41 years ago after allegedly hijacking an airliner has voluntarily returned to New York to face justice, US prosecutors said Monday.
The fugitive, Luis Armando Pena Soltren, was taken into custody on arrival at JFK Airport on Sunday, the US attorney's office for Manhattan and the Federal Bureau of Investigaton said.
"It was made clear to Pena Soltren by US officials that he would be arrested and prosecuted upon his return to the United States," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
"The Cuban government was aware of Pena Soltren's desire to return voluntarily to the United States and authorized his departure."
Pena Soltren, 66, was due to appear in court on Tuesday, the prosecutor's office said.
He is accused of hijacking PanAm flight 281 out of New York on November 24, 1968, and diverting the Puerto Rico-bound plane to Havana.
Pena Soltren and two accomplices allegedly used pistols and large knives to force their way into the cockpit and take control, the prosecutor's office said.
The two other suspects, Jose Rafael Rios Cruz and Miguel Castro were apprehended in 1975 and 1976 and sentenced to 15 and 12 years in prison respectively.
Pena Soltren is charged with conspiracy to commit air piracy and kidnapping, interference with flight crew members, aircraft piracy, and kidnapping. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
"This is yet another example of how justice delayed is not justice denied. It is an example of the principle that, for the FBI, fugitive cases don't become closed cases until the fugitive is brought to justice," said Joseph Demarest, an FBI official in New York, in a statement.
The prosecutor's office would not comment on why Pena Soltren surrendered after four decades. The New York Times quoted FBI sources saying that the fugitive wanted to see his family. Other reports suggested he had health problems.
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