A US veteran was reportedly shot dead after boarding a passenger flight in the Caribbean and stabbing three people on board.

The suspect wished to hijack the flight, as shared by local media reports, and was carrying a knife on board.

The man was identified as 49-year-old Akinyela Taylor, who smuggled the weapon on the 8 am Tropic Air service from Corozal Municipal Airport in Belize.

Taylor made demands to the pilot of the Cessna Caravan to change the course of the flight and head overseas as per the authorities. The plane was reportedly carrying 14 passengers.

Police Commissioner Chester Williams explained how Taylor stabbed three individuals in a desperate attempt to make his voice heard. He wished to send a message out while the pilot was seen circling erratically over Belizean airspace and issued complaints about being short on fuel.

The plane came to a landing position two hours later at the international airport in Belize City, but did a last-second go-around as cops waited on the tarmac to surround the hijacker.