U.S. plane hijacker heads home from Cuba after 30 years

  • 11 years ago
American William Potts arrives at Havana's airport to a media frenzy.

Almost 30 years after he hijacked a plane to Cuba, he's heading back to the U.S. to face charges.

SOUNDBITE: U.S. National William Potts saying:

"I'm very anxious to return and resolve this conflict that has been going on for too long. We are hoping for a just solution to this problem."

His saga began when he hijacked a Miami-bound plane with 56 people on board and forced the pilot to land in Cuba where he thought he'd be welcome.

Instead, he was arrested and spent 13 years in a Cuban prison on air piracy charges.

He's expected to be arrested on the same charge when he arrives in Miami.

Believed to be a member of the Black Panthers militant group, he has been trying to return to the U.S. for years.

SOUNDBITE: U.S. National William Potts saying:

"To go home, to my family, to my daughters, that's what I'm hoping. That's what I'm expecting."

He's requested a pa

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