American convicted hijacker living in Cuba since 1984 set to return to US to face charges

HAVANA – An American fugitive hijacker who has been living in Cuba for nearly three decades says he is going home to face U.S. justice.

William Potts tells The Associated Press his travel documents are all set and he is booked on a charter flight from Havana to Miami early Wednesday.

He says he looks forward to getting "closure" by facing charges against him back home.

Potts hijacked an airplane and flew to the Communist-run island in 1984, expecting that Cuba would offer him guerrilla training. Instead Cuban authorities convicted him of air piracy and imprisoned him for more than 13 years.

He said Tuesday he hopes his time served in Cuba will help mitigate the charges against him in the United States.