US man given 15 years for 1968 Cuba hijack

 

 

A US man of Cuban origin has been sentenced to 15 years in jail for hijacking a plane from New York to Cuba in 1968.

Luis Armando Pena Soltren, 67, boarded the Puerto Rico-bound plane with a pistol and a knife.
He forced the pilots to divert the plane, carrying 103 passengers and crew, to Havana.
Pena Soltren returned to the US from Cuba in 2009 reportedly to see his family. He pleaded guilty last March.

He was charged with conspiracy to commit air piracy, interfering with a flight crew and kidnapping.
He will not be eligible for parole.
'Strict sentence' Pena Soltren had been remorseful for decades, his lawyer said, and had asked for leniency.
The lawyer argued Pena Soltren had only taken part to visit his father in a Cuban hospital and had since lived an honourable life.
However, Judge Alvin Hellerstein said: "People have to respect the law. Sometimes it's important to have a strict sentence.