Homesick Black Panther who hijacked plane and flew it to Cuba set to return to face justice in U.S.: Another victim who wasted his time and life on a failed Civil Rights movement

Homesick Black Panther who hijacked plane and flew it to Cuba set to return to face justice in U.S.

• William Potts, 56, is due to land in Florida today for the first time in 30 years
• Hijacked plane at gunpoint in 1984 and forced it to fly to Communist state
• Jailed in Cuba for 13 years and then started family but wants to return home

By Becky Evans and Ap Reporter
PUBLISHED: 04:32 EST, 6 November 2013 | UPDATED: 18:04 EST, 6 November 2013

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A former Black Panther, who hijacked a plane and forced it to fly to Cuba, is set to return to the U.S. to face justice today.
William Potts said he is homesick and wants to return to America for the first time in almost three decades.
Mr Potts, 56, who has been working with U.S. diplomats in Havana in recent weeks to get a passport, said they told him yesterday that his travel arrangements were made and he could leave on a charter flight to Miami today.
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William Potts is due to return to the U.S. today for the first time since he hijacked a plane in 1984 and forced it to take him to Cuba where he has lived since

Mr Potts has worked with U.S. diplomats in Havana to secure a passport and return to Miami

Because the two countries have no extradition treaty, Mr Potts was beyond the reach of U.S. justice but he still faces an indictment for air piracy that could carry a 20-year prison sentence.
He hopes the 13 years he served in Cuba for the hijacking will be taken into consideration by U.S. authorities but admits he may be sent to prison.

 

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Mr Potts said he seeks 'closure' by facing the U.S. justice system.
He argues that the time he served in the Combinado del Este prison outside Havana should mitigate further punishment back home.
'I'm ready for whatever,' Potts said. 'My position is, of course, I did the crime and I did the time, and the United States has to recognize that.'
Mr Potts was jailed after hijacking a commercial plane in 1984 when he pulled a gun hidden in a plaster cast and forced it to land in Cuba, where he expected authorities to offer him guerrilla training.
Instead he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Since his release, he settled down became a farmer and had two daughters with his second wife. 

Black Panther hijacker returns to US after 30 years

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2488235/Black-Panther-William-Potts-hijacked-plane-set-return-Cuba-face-justice-US.html#ixzz2jy5nGNFc
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