Aeroméxico Flight 576
Encyclopedia
AeroMéxico Flight 576 was a Mexican domestic passenger flight from Cancún
to Mexico City
that was hijacked on 9 September 2009. The plane was flown to Mexico City International Airport
where the passengers were released. A short while later, the crew was also released and authorities detained five men in connection with the hijacking. However, only one of those taken into custody was identified as the perpetrator by the authorities. The hijacker's main demand was to speak with President
Felipe Calderón
.
This was the first hijacking for Aeroméxico
.
Flight 576, took off from Cancún International Airport
at 11:38 local time
(17:38 UTC
), according to flight records. It was originally scheduled for Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City
, where it was due to land at 13:50 local time (19:50 UTC). A total of 112 people were initially believed to be on board, including Mexicans and foreigners from France and the United States.
All passengers were released after the plane touched down in Mexico City, where it was taken to the emergency apron that is a special area at the end of the airport near the runway 23L. Passengers were seen entering buses as they left the aircraft. Heavily armed security forces
surrounded the aircraft as the hijackers and the crew remained on board, according to reporters on scene.
The hijackers, reported as three Bolivia
n men, demanded to speak with President Calderón
. They claimed to be carrying a package with tape and cables, which was said to be an explosive device
. The government went into an emergency meeting, in what was being described as a national emergency. At 14:37, most hostages were taken off the plane and evacuated by bus.
had been involved.
Soon after landing, passengers reported seeing a hijacker who was carrying a package which resembled an explosive device
; however, a bomb squad's search of the plane turned up no explosive devices. Televisa reported a controlled explosion of luggage at 16:00.
, speaking at a press conference shortly afterwards, identified the individual as José Marc Flores Pereira (aka "Jósmar"), a Bolivia
n citizen. García Luna also reported that Flores had served prison time in Santa Cruz de la Sierra
. While Flores claimed divine guidance for his hijacking action, local media noted that he had a history of drug and alcohol related problems.
Flores asserted mystical, religious motives for the hijacking, claiming that the date the hijacking took place was 9/9/09, which is the satanic
number 666
upside down. A non-explosive construction consisting of two fruit juice cans, filled with dirt, and adorned with light bulbs was found in his possession.
Quintana Roo
State Congressman Hernán Villatoro (of the Labour Party) was on board the flight and said, in a radio interview, that the hijacker was carrying a Bible
, issued a series of religious prophecies, and warned that President Calderón should not attend the traditional Independence Day
festivities in Mexico City's Zócalo
on 16 September because of an impending earthquake.
Cancún
Cancún is a city of international tourism development certified by the UNWTO . Located on the northeast coast of Quintana Roo in southern Mexico, more than 1,700 km from Mexico City, the Project began operations in 1974 as Integrally Planned Center, a pioneer of FONATUR Cancún is a city of...
to Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
that was hijacked on 9 September 2009. The plane was flown to Mexico City International Airport
Mexico City International Airport
Benito Juárez International Airport , in Venustiano Carranza, one of the sixteen boroughs into which Mexico's Federal District is divided, is a commercial airport that serves Mexico City, the capital of Mexico...
where the passengers were released. A short while later, the crew was also released and authorities detained five men in connection with the hijacking. However, only one of those taken into custody was identified as the perpetrator by the authorities. The hijacker's main demand was to speak with President
President of Mexico
The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
Felipe Calderón
Felipe Calderón
Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa is the current President of Mexico. He assumed office on December 1, 2006, and was elected for a single six-year term through 2012...
.
This was the first hijacking for Aeroméxico
Aeroméxico
Airways of Mexico, SA de CV , operating as Aeroméxico, is the flag carrier airline of Mexico based in Colonia Cuauhtémoc, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City. It operates scheduled domestic and international services to North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia...
.
Flight from Cancún to Mexico City
The plane, AeroMéxicoAeroméxico
Airways of Mexico, SA de CV , operating as Aeroméxico, is the flag carrier airline of Mexico based in Colonia Cuauhtémoc, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City. It operates scheduled domestic and international services to North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia...
Flight 576, took off from Cancún International Airport
Cancún International Airport
Cancún International Airport is located in Cancún, Quintana Roo, on the Caribbean coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. It is Mexico's second busiest airport, after Mexico City International Airport in Mexico City, but the biggest in Mexico and Latin America for International passengers...
at 11:38 local time
UTC-6
UTC−06 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of −06. This time is used in:-Central America:*Belize*Costa Rica*El Salvador*Guatemala*Honduras*Nicaragua-Central Standard Time:...
(17:38 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
), according to flight records. It was originally scheduled for Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, where it was due to land at 13:50 local time (19:50 UTC). A total of 112 people were initially believed to be on board, including Mexicans and foreigners from France and the United States.
All passengers were released after the plane touched down in Mexico City, where it was taken to the emergency apron that is a special area at the end of the airport near the runway 23L. Passengers were seen entering buses as they left the aircraft. Heavily armed security forces
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
surrounded the aircraft as the hijackers and the crew remained on board, according to reporters on scene.
The hijackers, reported as three Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
n men, demanded to speak with President Calderón
Felipe Calderón
Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa is the current President of Mexico. He assumed office on December 1, 2006, and was elected for a single six-year term through 2012...
. They claimed to be carrying a package with tape and cables, which was said to be an explosive device
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
. The government went into an emergency meeting, in what was being described as a national emergency. At 14:37, most hostages were taken off the plane and evacuated by bus.
End of hijacking
At 14:56 local time, federal police stormed the aircraft and took five men into custody, without having to fire their weapons. The Bolivian Embassy in Mexico City denied its nationalsNationality
Nationality is membership of a nation or sovereign state, usually determined by their citizenship, but sometimes by ethnicity or place of residence, or based on their sense of national identity....
had been involved.
Soon after landing, passengers reported seeing a hijacker who was carrying a package which resembled an explosive device
Explosive device
An explosive device is device that relies on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Explosive devices have applications as demolition devices and as weapons in the military....
; however, a bomb squad's search of the plane turned up no explosive devices. Televisa reported a controlled explosion of luggage at 16:00.
Perpetrator
Federal Public Security Secretary Genaro García LunaGenaro García Luna
Genaro García Luna is a Mexican politician and engineer. He serves as Secretary of Public Security in the federal cabinet.He holds a B.Sc...
, speaking at a press conference shortly afterwards, identified the individual as José Marc Flores Pereira (aka "Jósmar"), a Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
n citizen. García Luna also reported that Flores had served prison time in Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the capital of the Santa Cruz department in eastern Bolivia and the largest city in the country...
. While Flores claimed divine guidance for his hijacking action, local media noted that he had a history of drug and alcohol related problems.
Flores asserted mystical, religious motives for the hijacking, claiming that the date the hijacking took place was 9/9/09, which is the satanic
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
number 666
Number of the Beast
The Number of the Beast is a term in the Book of Revelation, of the New Testament, that is associated with the first Beast of Revelation chapter 13, the Beast of the sea. In most manuscripts of the New Testament and in English translations of the Bible, the number of the Beast is...
upside down. A non-explosive construction consisting of two fruit juice cans, filled with dirt, and adorned with light bulbs was found in his possession.
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 10 municipalities and its capital city is Chetumal....
State Congressman Hernán Villatoro (of the Labour Party) was on board the flight and said, in a radio interview, that the hijacker was carrying a Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, issued a series of religious prophecies, and warned that President Calderón should not attend the traditional Independence Day
Grito de Dolores
The Grito de Dolores also known as El Grito de la Independencia , uttered from the small town of Dolores, near Guanajuato on April 19, 1810 is the event that marks the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence and is the most important national holiday observed in Mexico...
festivities in Mexico City's Zócalo
Zócalo
The Zócalo is the main plaza or square in the heart of the historic center of Mexico City. The plaza used to be known simply as the "Main Square" or "Arms Square," and today its formal name is Plaza de la Constitución...
on 16 September because of an impending earthquake.