Thirty Years After He Hijacked A Plane To Cuba, William Potts Will Return To America

Thirty Years After He Hijacked A Plane To Cuba, William Potts Will
Return To America
November 5, 2013 5:20 PM

MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – Almost 30 years after William Potts, a member of
the Black Panthers, hijacked a Miami-bound plane, he will return to
American soil.

Potts boarded a plane out of Newark Airport with a pistol. He hijacked
the plane which was flying to Miami, and demanded the pilots fly the
plane to Havana, Cuba.

According to the Associated Press, he went to Cuba intending to learn
how to overthrow the the U.S. Government, Potts thought he'd be greeted
as a hero by the Castro administration and trained in revolutionary
military tactics. Instead, Cuba put him on trial and imprisoned him for
at least 13-years.

Early Wednesday morning he'll finally land in that plane's original
destination: Miami. He's voluntarily returning to America after years of
exile.

Cuban officials did offer Potts a chance to return to America before his
initial trial, but Potts decided to stay on the island to prove his
revolutionary bona fides.

After Potts was released from prison he continued to live in Cuba and
had two daughters. Though, Cuba wasn't particularly harboring him.

Ever since 2009, Potts had written American officials asking for a
pardon or a plan to come home. His efforts were met with silence.

Now, according to the AP, he's received a one use passport from the
United States Interests Section and will arrive in Miami Wednesday,
November 6th.

Potts' daughters were allowed to leave Cuba last year, and are now
living in Georgia with family.

Potts however could very well still face charges in America. He hopes
that his time served in a Cuban prison could mitigate any further
punishment. "I am ready to discuss it and debate the issue in a court of
law if necessary," he told CNN. "Because I am sure that any American can
understand that 15-years in prison in a communist country is 15-years.
It's not a Club Med situation."

Potts claimed to have no interest anymore in overthrowing the American
government. He said he just wants to be a father.

Source: "Thirty Years After He Hijacked A Plane To Cuba, William Potts
Will Return To America « CBS Miami" -
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/11/05/thirty-years-after-he-hijacked-a-plane-to-cuba-william-potts-will-return-to-america/