MIAMI, Nov 7: A man who returned to the US from Cuba almost 30 years after hijacking an airliner to Havana is set to make his first appearance in Miami federal court.

The FBI arrested 56-year-old William Potts shortly after his charter plane landed on Wednesday at Miami International Airport. Potts is to appear before a federal magistrate judge today afternoon, where the main business is likely to be appointing him an attorney.

Potts faces 20 years to life in prison if convicted of US air piracy charges in the 1984 hijacking. He already served more than 13 years in Cuba for the same offence.

In interviews prior to leaving Cuba, Potts said he was seeking “closure” and hoped to convince US prosecutors to give him credit for the 13-plus years he spent in Cuban prison for hijacking the flight.

“My position is I am a free man. I have served my time,” Potts said. “But they seem to have another concept. They are going to take control of me. I will be under their authority.’’

Potts was taken initially from the airport to the FBI’s Miami field office and was later being transferred to a downtown detention centre.

In the 1960s and 1970s, dozens of American aircraft were hijacked to communist Cuba at the height of the Cold War. But by the time Potts commandeered his plane, they had become less frequent and Cuba had begun prosecuting the hijackers.

According to an FBI affidavit filed with the indictment, Potts bought a one-way ticket on the Piedmont flight on March 27, 1984. Potts has said the flight originated in Newark, New Jersey, but the FBI affidavit said it was nearby LaGuardia Airport in New York.

As the airliner approached Miami, the FBI said Potts pushed a flight attendant call button and handed her a note claiming he had two “comrades” on the plane and that there were two explosive devices aboard. Potts called himself “Lt. Spartacus, a soldier in the Black Liberation Army,” according to the FBI.

Potts has said in interviews he had a gun hidden in a plaster cast that was used in the hijacking, but the FBI affidavit does not mention that.

The plane was flown to Havana, where Cuban authorities boarded it and took Potts into custody.—AP

Opinion

Editorial

Kurram ‘roadmap’
Updated 25 Dec, 2024

Kurram ‘roadmap’

The state must provide ironclad guarantees that the local population will be protected from all forms of terrorism.
Snooping state
25 Dec, 2024

Snooping state

THE state’s attempts to pry into citizens’ internet activities continue apace. The latest in this regard is a...
A welcome first step
25 Dec, 2024

A welcome first step

THE commencement of a dialogue between the PTI and the coalition parties occupying the treasury benches in ...
High troop losses
Updated 24 Dec, 2024

High troop losses

Continuing terror attacks show that our counterterrorism measures need a revamp. Localised IBOs appear to be a sound and available option.
Energy conundrum
24 Dec, 2024

Energy conundrum

THE onset of cold weather in the country has brought with it a familiar woe: a severe shortage of piped gas for...
Positive cricket change
24 Dec, 2024

Positive cricket change

HEADING into their Champions Trophy title defence, Pakistan are hitting the right notes. Mohammad Rizwan’s charges...