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BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - A man in a wheelchair who hijacked a Colombian airliner using hand grenades was sentenced Friday to eight years of house arrest.
Porfirio Ramirez faced up to 40 years in prison for commandeering an Aires airliner with 24 passengers aboard, but Bogota Penal Court Judge Jairo Acosta said he reduced the sentence because "his action was aimed simply at pressuring (authorities) to meet his demands" and he surrendered peacefully.
Ramirez hijacked the plane because the government turned down his bid to receive compensation for the injuries he suffered from police gunfire during a raid 14 years ago that left him in a wheelchair.
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