Plane hijacked at Honduras airport

Unidentified armed men have hijacked a small airplane in northern Honduras after they managed to break into a military base at a major international airport, Press TV reported.

The event occurred early on Monday at La Mesa International Airport in San Pedro Sula, AP reported.

Honduran Security Minister Oscar Alvarez said five gunmen attacked three guards at the entrance gate, went to the military hanger near a runway, started the engine and made off with a small airplane that authorities seized last year in an anti-drug operation.

"It was a very professional operation. It was really a temptation for organized crime or drug traffickers to have the plane there," Alvarez said during a news conference.

He added, "We are fighting a struggle against organized crime and drug trafficking. We always expect the worst."

Honduras is experiencing a wave of violence unleashed by gangs that are financed by drug trafficking and other criminal acts.

Nearly 800 tons of cocaine passes through Honduras from Colombia to the United States each year.