Page last updated at 02:21 GMT, Thursday, 10 September 2009 03:21 UK
Mexican police end hijack drama
Passengers rush off the plane and are escorted onto the runway by troops
Mexican police have freed more than 100 passengers unharmed after a jet flying from Cancun to Mexico City was hijacked by a religious fanatic.
Jose Flores Pereira, a 40-year-old Bolivian, threatened to blow up the Aeromexico plane unless allowed to speak to President Felipe Calderon.
He said that he used a can of juice as a fake bomb.
Five other people were also detained, but police later said that there had only been one hijacker.
Transport Minister Juan Molinar said there had been no bombs on board.
"The passengers are safe. There was no bomb," he said.
"Various people who participated in the act have been detained and we are investigating," he said.
The passengers included US and French citizens, a US official told AP news agency.
'Divine revelation'
Jose Flores Pereira
Jose Flores Pereira was shown to reporters after he was detained
Public Safety Secretary Genaro Garcia Luna said the hijacking had been masterminded by Mr Flores who had "had a revelation that Mexico was facing a great danger, and was threatened by an earthquake".
Mr Flores told reporters after his arrest that he had used "a juice can with some little lights I attached" to seize control of the plane as it landed at Mexico City.
He told flight attendants that he had three accomplices, "the Father, Son and Holy Ghost".
He said that he acted on 9 September 2009, because the numbers 9/9/9 were the inverse of 6/6/6, the number linked to the Anti-Christ.
"Christ is coming soon," Mr Flores told journalists.
Mr Garcia said that Mr Flores was a former drug addict, with a conviction for armed robbery in his native Bolivia. He has lived in Mexico for 17 years.
Mr Flores said he had gone to Cancun to preach. He is also a singer.
"I was a despicable drug addict, but Christ freed me a few years ago," he sings in one video posted on YouTube.
'Scary moments'
Police enter from rear of plane
Mexican armed police stormed the plane and made several arrests
An official told the BBC while the hijacking was taking place that Mr Calderon had been on his way to the airport.
Mexican media broadcast live images of the drama unfolding as the plane sat at the end of the runway and passengers were seen disembarking and being led away.
Some minutes later, at least six handcuffed men were seen being taken from the plane by armed police and driven away.
Earlier reports, citing police sources, said it was initially believed the hijackers had explosives taped to their bodies.
Passenger Rocio Garcia told the Televisa TV network that the crew announced the plane was being hijacked when it landed in Mexico City.
"These were scary moments," she said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8247472.stm