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US arrests 1968 hijacking suspect

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-10-12 14:05

WASHINGTON: A man wanted in connection with the hijacking of a Pan Am flight to Cuba nearly 41 years ago was arrested in New York on Sunday, a Justice Department official said.

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Luis Armando Pena Soltren was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport for suspected of involvement in the November 1968 hijacking of a Puerto Rico-bound Pan Am flight from New York, said Justice Department spokesman Richard Kolko.

Kolko said Soltren, who has been in Cuba for almost 41 years, will appear in the Manhattan federal court on Tuesday.

A December 1968 indictment alleges Soltren, together with Jose Rafael Rios Cruz, Miguel Castro and Alejandro Figueroa conspired to hijack Pan American Flight 281 on November 24.

Cruz was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while Castro received a 12-year jail-term. Figueroa was acquitted, court documents showed.