“Hijacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Legal Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/legal/hijacking. Retrieved 19 October 2022. In 1973, the United States and Cuba reached an agreement allowing both countries to request the extradition of a kidnapper. The agreement was reached through an exchange of diplomatic notes. It is in Cuba`s interest to conclude the agreement because many Cubans hijacked planes from Cuba and forced them to travel to the United States. The agreement allows both countries to consider mitigating circumstances if the hijackers “acted for purely political reasons and were in real and imminent danger of death without any practical alternative, provided there is no financial extortion or bodily injury” to the crew, passengers or others (12 I.L.M. 370-76, No. 2 [March 1973]). In addition to this agreement, the United States made hijacking a federal crime in 1961. Under the Aircraft Piracy Act (18 U.S.C.A.
§ 32), attempting or succeeding in the following acts is considered hijacking; the installation or bringing of a destructive device or substance on board an aircraft; damage to or malfunction of an air traffic control facility or equipment and property used in the operation of an aircraft; committing an act of violence against a person or injuring a person on board an aircraft; or threats or statements they know to be false against or concerning the safety of an aircraft already in flight. Subscribe to America`s largest dictionary and get thousands of other definitions and an advanced search – ad-free! However, the abduction took place on September 11. In September 2001, terrorists seized four airliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a field in Pennsylvania. The United States was stunned and the definition of kidnapping was seriously questioned. Before the attacks, experts generally noted that violence was less likely if pilots followed the hijackers` requests. In this case, however, there were no negotiations. In fact, hijackers have proven that planes can be used as missiles, unleashing mass violence not only against those on board a plane, but also against thousands of others who are in or near a terrorist target. As a result, national security became an immediate priority, and regulations and security measures were quickly implemented in hopes of preventing similar attacks. The United States passed the Anti-Diversion Act of 1974 (49 U.S.C.A.
§ 1301 et seq.) to implement these international conventions. This law is designed to prevent countries from taking a permissive stance towards illegal activities, such as seizing aircraft, by providing penalties for hijackers and for countries that protect hijackers or fail to take appropriate precautions. The law gives the president the power to terminate air service between a offending nation and the United States if the president determines that the offending nation has not acted in accordance with its obligations under anti-diversion conventions. Since the signing of these international conventions in the 1970s, the number of hijackings has fallen sharply, particularly in the United States. Kidnappings have not been limited to the United States and Cuba. In 1970, hijackers seized more than 90 planes around the world. The increase in international terrorism, particularly in the Middle East, has led to widespread kidnappings. In these situations, the kidnappers sought the satisfaction of political demands and a platform to express their opinions.
In 1970, members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijacked three planes and flew two on a deserted runway near Amman, Jordan, while blowing up the third in Cairo, Egypt, after freeing the passengers and crew. A few days later, another plane was hijacked. The kidnappers demanded the release of Palestinian prisoners in European and Israeli jails. When their demands were not met, they removed the passengers from the planes and destroyed the planes one by one. Denied access to a Syrian port, the hijackers sailed to Alexandria, where they surrendered to Egyptian authorities. The kidnappers were allowed to leave Egypt for trial, where they were convicted of violating an Italian law that made terrorist kidnappings illegal. The kidnapper, who confessed to killing Klinghoffer, was sentenced to 30 years in prison. In subparagraph (b)(2), the words “place of action” are omitted as surplus. The words “as defined in subsection (2) of this Subdivision” are deleted as a result of the rewording. The word “country” is replaced by “State” for consistency in the revised title and with other titles of the United States Code. Amended by Pub. 103–429 with effect from 5 July 1994, see Article 9 of Pub.
L. 103–429, reproduced in a footnote under Article 321 of this Title. August 23, 1958, Pub. L. 85–726, 72 Stat. 731, § 902 (i); added 5 September 1961, Pub. L. 87-197, § 1, 75 Stat. 466; October 14, 1970, Pub. L. 91–449, § 1(3), 84 Stat.
921; August 5, 1974, Pub. L. 93–366, §§ 103(a), 104, 88 Stat. 410, 411. August 23, 1958, Pub. L. 85–726, 72 Stat. 731, § 902(n)(1), (3); added: 5 August 1974, Pub. L. 93-366, § 103(b), 88 Stat. 410.
(b) No. 1, L. 104-132, §§ 721 (a) (1), 723 (b) (2), in the introductory provisions, insert “or conspire to commit” after “commit” and delete “and subsequently found in the United States” after “jurisdiction of the United States”. Karber, Phillip A. 2002. “Reconstruction of Global Aviation in the Age of Civil Aircraft as a Weapon of Destruction”. Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy 781. Can you beat the previous Spelli national winners? These sample phrases are automatically selected from various online information sources to reflect the current use of the word “hijacking”. The views expressed in the examples do not represent the views of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us your feedback. Letter (b) number 3. L. 104-132, § 721(a)(3), paragraph 3) added. In light of the increasing number of hijackings, the international community has sought to negotiate agreements that would prevent hijackers from finding refuge. The 1970 Hague Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft (22 U.S.T. 1641, T.I.A.S. 7192 [entered into force in the United States in 1971]) deals specifically with the hijacking of aircraft in flight. The Montreal Convention of 1971 for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation (24 U.S.T. 564, T.I.A.S. 7570 [in force in the United States in 1973]) deals with attacks or sabotage of civil aircraft in flight or on the ground, or destruction or damage to air traffic control facilities where this could endanger the safety of aircraft in flight.
