Man accused of hijacking NY-to-Cuba flight in 1968 pleads not guilty in NYC

Man held in 1968 hijacking pleads not guilty in NY

NEW YORK — A U.S. citizen accused of being among three hijackers who carried pistols and large knives into the cabin of a plane four decades ago to force it to land in Cuba pleaded not guilty Tuesday and remained jailed.

Luis Armando Pena Soltren, 66, entered the plea through a Spanish translator in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas F. Eaton. A pretrial hearing was set for Wednesday in Manhattan.

Pena Soltren was arrested Sunday afternoon when he arrived on a flight to Kennedy International Airport from Cuba to surrender to U.S. authorities.

In November 1968, Pan American Flight 281 left the same New York City airport bound for San Juan, Puerto Rico. A December 1968 indictment said Pena Soltren and at least two accomplices used weapons hidden in a diaper bag to hijack it.

The flight, with 103 passengers and crew aboard, was diverted to Havana.

The stocky Pena Soltren, wearing a white shirt and casual beige pants, listened through earphones as Eaton read him his rights Tuesday. His lawyer, James Neuman, said he was not requesting bail at this time. Pena Soltren’s wife also attended the court proceeding.

Outside court, Neuman was asked to speak about reports that his client was returned to the United States because he wanted to be near relatives.

“There’s some family in the area,” Neuman said. But he declined to comment further.

Newman said he hasn’t discussed any deal for his client with the government.

The FBI and federal prosecutors said the Cuban government authorized Pena Soltren’s departure and was aware of his desire to return voluntarily.

In the 1960s, dozens of U.S. flights were hijacked and diverted to Cuba. Some flights were hijacked by self-described radical leftists, fugitives seeking asylum on the Caribbean island or criminals scheming to extort money from the U.S. government or from the airline companies.

The United States has said more than 70 fugitives may reside in Cuba.

Two men charged in the Pan Am Flight 281 hijacking were arrested in the mid-1970s and pleaded guilty to their roles. A fourth man charged in the case was found not guilty.

Robert Pastor, a professor at American University in Washington, says dozens of American fugitives hiding in Cuba are watching the case. Pastor was national security adviser for Latin America during the Carter administration.

The fugitives are aware that thawing relations between Cuba and the United States could put them within reach of U.S. authorities.

Since 1971, both countries have operated at times under an agreement in which they promise to prosecute hijackers or return them to the other country.

Pastor said he was not surprised to hear of Pena Soltren’s surrender because he had heard in the spring that several fugitives were considering returning to the United States, possibly because they believe they face a better fate under the administration of President Barack Obama.

“Whether there will be other people beyond may depend in part on how the U.S. treats this person,” he said. “If you consider Cuba is a prison, you might say they’ve served their term already.”