Even though they agreed to be towed back to harbor to refuel, they kept their weapons at the ready and knives around the throats of several of the women. At one point, one of the hostages, a French female tourist, noticed that her captor had grown weary and weak and gestured to the Cuban authorities that she could escape by jumping into the water if they thought it wise. When the message was returned with an affirmative, she suddenly freed herself and dove into the water. Her female companion, also French, followed suit immediately.
When the leader turned around to assess the commotion, another hostage, a member of the Ministry of Interior, put him in a bear hug and they both fell overboard. With that, everyone fell overboard. Fortunately, in the melee that followed, no one was killed or injured. The hostages were freed and the 11 terrorists were arrested and thrown in jail.
At their trial, the hijackers were found guilty of treasonous acts against the state, and three of them, Lorenzo Copello, Bà ¡baro Sevilla, and Jorge Luis Martà nez, considered to be the masterminds behind the attack, were sentenced to death. They were executed on April 11, 2003. Further investigations uncovered at least 30 other, similar plots as these, but after the executions on April 11, all hijackings ceased.
Again, though I greatly admire President Castro and all he has done for the Cuban people and others, especially under such impossible conditions as the immoral trade embargo and the constant threat of attack from the US, I simply cannot condone the murder of another human being, regardless of the circumstances and even when the outcome seems to have completely justified it.
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