Colombia plane stolen
This file photograph taken on June 17, 2011 shows a Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft of Susi Air preparing to take off at Jayapura airport in Papua province. The Cessna Grand Caravan is a larger version of the Cessna 210, which was stolen from a Colombian airport on June 10, 2012.
A group of armed men stole a Cessna 210 airplane after entering an airport in Colombia's northwestern region of Uraba Sunday night, newspaper El Colombiano reported.
The small plane was being kept at Antioquia's Los Cedros airport and is said to have been taken around 7 p.m. local time, according to Colombia Reports. The armed group threatened security guards from a private company to hand over the airplane, and th Cessna took off amidst a hail of bullets.
"The airplane, which was under the custody of competent regional authorities, in one of the hangars in the Los Cedros airport, took off without a plan of return and without any permission," said the Colombian air force in a statement, according to Colombia Reports.
The aircraft was impounded last December after entering Colombia illegally with a false Guatemalan registration, and was apparently used for drug trafficking, reported EFE. It came from Honduras and "was detected, intercepted and forced to land" on Dec. 11, 2011, according to Colombia's air force.
Once the plane was stolen Sunday night, it was tracked into Panamanian air space and many Central American countries were informed, according to EFE.
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"As yet we have no information as to the whereabouts of the aircraft," the air force continued, adding that it will "remain alert to any request and will support Central American authorities in their search for the aircraft."
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