Melvin McNair

Released In Exile
Date of birth:30. 10. 1948
Age:77
Gender:Male
Race:Black
Era:1970s
Time Imprisoned:
3 Years 10 Months 6 Days
Time in Exile:
54 Years 1 Month 11 Days
Support
Black Liberation Anti-Imperialism Black Panther Party Black Liberation Army
Melvin McNair

Biography

Melvin McNair was a Vietnam veteran who became involved in Black-liberation and antiwar politics after experiencing racism during his military service. On July 31, 1972 he along with his wife Jean and three other companions, hijacked Delta Air Lines Flight 841 out of Detroit, demanding ransom and passage to Algeria to join the Black Panther International Section. The hijackers released all 86 passengers in Miami before flying on to Algiers. Disillusioned with exile in Algeria, the group moved to France, where they were arrested in 1976 and tried for the hijacking. After his release from prison McNair settled in Caen, Normandy, where he worked at an orphanage and coached youth baseball until his retirement.

Case

Fleury-Mérogis Prison
Charges: Air piracy — hijacking of Delta Air Lines Flight 841 (July 31, 1972)
Arrested: May 26, 1976
Sentenced: Nov 24, 1978
Incarcerated: May 26, 1976
Released: April 1980
In exile since: Jul 31, 1972
Sentence: Convicted by the Paris Assize Court on November 24, 1978, for the July 31, 1972 hijacking of Delta Air Lines Flight 841. In custody at Fleury-Mérogis Prison from his May 26, 1976 arrest in Paris, and released in approximately the spring of 1980 after about three years in total custody. He settled permanently in France.
Convicted: Yes — convicted by the Paris Assize Court, November 24, 1978; France refused extradition and tried the case itself
Institution State: France

Related Cases

Jean McNair Jean McNair George Brown George Brown Joyce Tillerson Joyce Tillerson George Wright George Wright