Bible-carrying Jose Flores Mar Pereira was said by Mexican officials to have hijacked the Aeromexico plane after it left the popular tourist resort of Cancun on a flight to Mexico City.
He told authorities after his arrest that he had "had a revelation that Mexico was facing a great danger, and was threatened by an earthquake," public security official, Genaro Garcia Luna, said.
The alleged hijacker was said to be a former prisoner and drug addict, who has lived in Mexico for 17 years. But it was not immediately clear if he was helped by others amid reports that up to six people had been arrested.
All the people onboard the flight were safely evacuated at Mexico City, officials said, as security forces swarmed the capital's international airport within minutes of the plane landing.
Unconfirmed media reports claimed the hijackers, initially said to be three Bolivians, were carrying explosives. But Transport Secretary Juan Francisco Molinar Horcasitas told local television there was no bomb on board.
