Detained GV Crew Still Stuck in Congo

More details are emerging about the Gulfstream V seizure in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on February 4. After taking on cargo, the flight crew of the chartered jet was preparing to depart from Goma when an armored personnel carrier stopped next to them. Its occupants, who carried machine guns, ordered them out of the airplane.

The GV is registered to Southlake Aviation and managed by charter operator Arcadia Aviation. According to news reports, the aircraft was leased to a subsidiary of Camac International, an energy company headed by Kase Lawal, who last September was appointed to the U.S. Advisory Committee for Trade and Policy Negotiation. Reports suggest that cash carried on the GV was exchanged for a cargo of gold. The crew-three pilots and a flight attendant-and passengers are being detained at a Goma hotel. The U.S. State Department's Overseas Citizens Service confirmed that a consular officer visited them to check on their well-being.