According to The New York Times, George Wright and his band of hijackers headed to Algeria believing the country to be at the forefront of the Black Liberation Movement, being home at the time to the Black Panther Party leader Eldridge Cleaver. However, the Algerian government proved not to be as supportive of Wright’s group as they had hoped and forced the hijackers to relinquish the ransom money they had taken so it could be returned to U.S. officials. Next, the group traveled to France, where all the hijackers — except Wright — were arrested and sentenced to prison time, per Al Jazeera.
Wright was missing until he was finally traced to his home outside Lisbon, Portugal, in 2011 through a fingerprint match, after more than 40 years on the run, according to The Guardian. Wright had since been married, had children, and learned to speak fluent Portuguese.
READ RELATED: Police hunt kidnappers of 39-year-old man abducted from house mistakenly linked to drug theft
In the U.S., Wright is still considered a wanted fugitive, and authorities have tried several times since 2012 to have Wright extradited to his country of birth to face justice and to serve the prison time he fled more than 50 years ago, but the Portuguese government argues that the window for which Wright –- who has since been granted Portuguese citizenship –- could be tried for his crimes has long since expired, according to The New York Times, with a senior Portuguese judge telling the Associated Press: The case is now closed.”
Nevertheless, the FBI still warns that Wright “should be considered armed and dangerous.” His wanted profile remains active.
Source:
