The suspect who attempted to hijack a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight at the Chattogram airport died after being shot by army commandos who stormed the plane on the airport’s tarmac.
The suspect, who claimed himself as Mehedi and was in his mid-20s, died from gunshot wounds sustained in a swift commando operation, the Bangladesh Army said. All the passengers and crew members disembarked safely before the raid.
He managed to board Dubai-bound flight BG147 from Dhaka’s Shahjalal International Airport in possession of a firearm on Sunday.
According to passengers and officials, the suspect pulled a gun on the pilot’s head and wanted to talk to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Around 5.40pm, the plane landed at Chattogram’s Shah Amanat International Airport in a stop-over, when security forces surrounded the aircraft.
In a swift eight-minute raid, commandos managed to neutralize the suspect on board the Boeing-737 aircraft at 7.24pm, Civil Aviation Authority’s Chairman M Naim Hassan told the media around 8pm.
He said then that the suspect was held with gunshot wounds.
Forty-five minutes later, the army confirmed in a media briefing that the suspect has died.
Major General SM Matiur Rahman, the general officer commanding of the 24th Infantry Division in Chattogram, said that the armed suspect did not respond to calls for surrender by the commandos.
“There was no option to negotiate after that. An exchange of fire erupted and the suspect was held with gunshot wounds. He died later,” he said.
The hijacker, who was carrying a pistol, identified himself as Mehedi and wanted to talk to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and his wife, according to the two-star general.