Evening star., 1961-05-02
Aerial Pirate Hijocks U. S. Air|iner
And Forces Crew to Fly 1t to Cuba

MIAMI, Cld., May q NAHJ.- -
An. aerial pirate, armed with
a steak knife and pistol and
Haunting the name of an old
time buccaneer, hijacked an
American airliner over Florida
yesterday and forced it to fly
to Cuba.
While seven frightened pas
sengers sat frozen to their
seats. the self-proclaimed "El
Pirata Cofresi" told the pilot
that Rafael Trujillo. Dominican
Republic strongman. had offered
him 100000 blood money to
aSsassinate Fidel Castro.
But he had no intention of
carrying out the mission. he
said, because he considered
Prime Minister Castro a good
guy" and wanted to spill the
beans" to him.
When the shanghaied, two
engine National Airlines plane
landed at an airport near Ha-
vana, Castro militiamen hus-
tied the man away to an un-
certain fate. Then the plane
was permitted to return to
Florida.
Investigation Pressed
The FBI and other Govern
ment agencies pressed an in
veStigation today to determine
the real name of Cofresi, and
exactly what he was up to.
"El pirata Cofresi" means
"the pirate Cofresi," a notori-
Gus freebooter who sailed the
Caribbean and West Indies
area in the early 18th Century.
In buying his ticket here for
the scheduled Miami-to-Key
West run, the gunman had
first given his name as "Mr.
Cofresi. elpir." Then he told
the ticket clerk that the letters
"ata" should be added to the
"elpir."
The plane had Just taken
off from an intermediate stop
at Marathon, a Florida key,
when the hiiacker went into
action.
A slim, unshaven man wear
ing dark sun glasses and a
straw hat which he never re-
moved. he slipped into the
cockpit and placed a knife at
the throat Of Capt. Francis x.
Riley of Miami Shores. Then
he pulled out small, silver
plated pistol and ordered Co.
Pilot j. T. Richardson of
Jacksonville to leave the cock
pit.
Ordered to Havana
Taking the co-pilot's seat
and turning off the radio, he
said:
Lets go to Havana"
Pilot Riley related:
He kept pointing the gun
at me the rest Of the trip. He
spoke perfect English and said
he was an American citizen
who fought in the Korean war
but he looked Cuban.
II talked to him to see if
his mind could be changed. but
he was intent on getting to
Cuba. He said Trujillo had Of
fered him 100000 to kill
Castro.
But he said he was going
to spill the beans to Castro.
Then he said, IF I don't see
Havana in 80 minutes, we1l all
die"
AS the plane passed over Key
West, about 80 miles from Ha-
vana, the pilot zig-zagged as
. signal Of distress but nobody
got the message.
"GOt Pretty Scared"
Meanwhile, according to q
passenger. Seaman G. L. Stick
ney, the pilot spoke over the
cabin loudSpeaker and an
nounced:
THE plane has been rerouted
to Havana. We will all be back
in the United States in a few
hours"
I'VE did not panic" said Mr..
Stickney, who was transferring
from San Diego to Key West,
"but we all got pretty scared" "
Stewardess Inez Harlow, a
comely light-haired girl who is
from Manitowoc, Wis, peeked
into the cockpit and saw what
was happening.
II turned around" she said
land went back and explained
to the passengers that a man
was holding gun on our pilot
The passengers stayed calm"
The captured plane ap-
preached Cuba as Prime Min
lister Castro, climaxing a May
Day celebration Of the recent
defeat of invading rebels, was
building up to a speech pro-
claiming Cuba socialist Com
munist-Style) country which
would have no need for such
bourgeois things as elections.
Permitted to Land
Capt. Riley radioed for per-
mission to come down at Jose
Marti Field, where commercial
planes usually land in Cuba.
Marti Field radioed back:
Get out or you'll be shot
down." IT
II explained to them" pilot
Riley said, that it was ar
emergency, that I was out oi
LOST