AP Exclusive: US fugitive hid in Portugal hamlet

[The Northerner]

ALMOCAGEME, Portgual (AP) - A 1970s militant who carried out one of the most brazen plane hijackings in U.S. history lived for decades in an idyllic Portuguese hamlet near a stunning beach with his Portuguese wife and two children, neighbors said on Wednesday.

George Wright, 68, was taken into custody by local police on Monday at the request of the U.S. government, which is seeking his extradition for escaping from a New Jersey jail in 1970 after being convicted of murder. Wright was also named as one of the hijackers of a Delta flight in 1972.

The Portuguese news agency Lusa, citing unnamed police sources, reported on Wednesday that the former Black Liberation Army member plans to fight the extradition demand.

During a court appearance on Tuesday in Lisbon, Wright asked to be released pending the outcome of the U.S. extradition request, and his request is being reviewed by Portuguese judicial authorities, U.S. Justice Department spokeswoman Laura Sweeney said on Wednesday.

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