A Bolivian religious fanatic briefly hijacked a jetliner from the beach resort of Cancun as it landed in Mexico City on Wednesday, police said. All passengers and the crew were released unharmed, The Associated Press reports. The Bible-carrying hijacker used a juice can he said was a bomb to hold the 103 passengers and crew on the tarmac for more than an hour. Masked police stormed the aircraft with guns drawn and escorted several handcuffed men away without firing a shot, according to AP. Police later said there was only one hijacker, and the other men aboard were detained because the suspect had told a flight attendant he had three accomplices. The others were quickly released. Jose Flores, 44, later told police his three companions were “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.” Flores hijacked Aeromexico Flight 576 after a divine revelation, according to Public Safety Secretary Genaro Garcia Luna. Flores said Wednesday’s date — 9-9-09 — is the satanic number 666 turned upside down. Flores, speaking to reporters after he was detained, said he took control of the aircraft with “a juice can … with some little lights I attached.” “Christ is coming soon,” he added, smiling. As the plane was landing, Flores stood up and showed his contraption to a flight attendant, Garcia Luna said. He ordered the pilot to circle over Mexico City seven times and asked to speak with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, saying he wanted to warn him of an impending earthquake, Garcia Luna said. His wife, Elizabeth Melgar, told W Radio that Flores “always told me that he was looking for a way to attract the attention of the media … he always told me that he was waiting for a signal from God to do something.”

Madonna Adoption Opposed by Baby’s Father

The father of the Malawian little girl that singer Madonna hopes to adopt has come out publicly against the move, reports the BBC. Although he has never met the child, James Kambewa told CBS’s “The Early Show” that he wants to raise her. Read more.

Jamaican Hijacker is Charged
Stephen Fray, the Jamaican man who held a Canadian flight crew hostage at the Caribbean nation’s Sangster International Airport last month, has been charged with robbery and shooting with intent, reports the BBC. The 21-year-old, who is allegedly mentally unstable, got past security and was able to board CanJet Airlines plane with a gun, police say. After eight hours, authorities took Fray into custody. He will face six charges which include assault, breaches of civil aviation regulations and illegal possession of a firearm, reports the news service.

Jamaica Plane Hijacking Ends

In Jamaica, an armed man who got onto a Canadian plane and held members of the crew hostage Sunday night was captured by the nation’s troops Monday morning, according to a Jamaican official. More here.

Senegal Frees Men Convicted of Homosexuality
An appeals court in West Africa’s Senegal, threw out the homosexuality convictions of nine men and ordered that they be released immediately. Homosexuality is illegal in the mostly Muslim nation. The men, who were members of a group fighting HIV and AIDS were arrested in December and convicted in January of “indecent conduct and unnatural acts,” reports the BBC.  They had been sentenced to serve eight years in jail. Lawyers for the men argued that the men had not been caught in the act and that the case against them was weak, according to reports. When the sentences were announced in January, they were the harshest ever given for homosexuality.