KINGSTON, Jamaica, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- A young Jamaican man who attempted to hijack a Canadian passenger jet from the Montego Bay airport this spring was found guilty of eight charges.
Since the April 19 incident, courts found 21-year-old Stephen Fray to be "mentally challenged," but fit to stand trial, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
In a telephone interview defense lawyer George Thomas in Kingston, Jamaica, told the CBC Fray wasn't aware he was doing anything wrong.
"I was expecting what the law says in a situation like this, that he did not know what he was doing at the time of the incident, he did not believe that it was illegal," Thomas said.
That day, Fray barged through airport security with his father's .38 caliber handgun and boarded the CanJet Airlines plane with 167 passengers and crew aboard, bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia.
He demanded to be taken to the United States and fired one shot into the plane's ceiling. Flight attendants persuaded him to free most of the passengers in exchange for cash and valuables.
After almost nine hours, commandoes stormed the aircraft and arrested Fray. He will be sentenced Oct. 8, the Go-Jamaica.com news site said.
