Man held in 1968 hijacking faces NYC arraignment

NEW YORK — A foreign policy expert says other fugitives are closely watching the case of an alleged airline hijacker who surrendered to U.S. authorities after four decades in Cuba.

Luis Armando Pena Soltren has a Manhattan court appearance scheduled Tuesday.

Authorities allege the U.S. citizen and his accomplices hijacked a Pan Am flight from Kennedy Airport to Cuba in 1968.

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

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.