Bangladesh plane ‘hijacker’ shot dead by special forces

All 142 passengers have subsequently been allowed to leave the plane, the airline’s general manager, Shakil Miraj, told Reuters.

A passenger suspected of attempting to hijack a flight from Bangladesh to Dubai has been shot dead by Bangladeshi special forces, Bangladesh media report.

The suspect, who reportedly warned he had a pistol, was killed when security forces stormed the plane after it made an emergency landing in Chittagong.

All 148 passengers and crew on board the Biman Bangladesh Airlines Flight BG147 disembarked safely.

It is not yet clear why the suspect may have attempted to hijack the plane.

Army officials said the man, believed to be aged 25, was initially wounded when shots were fired on Sunday but died shortly afterwards, AFP news agency reports.

“We tried to arrest him or get him to surrender but he refused and then we shot him,” Maj Gen Motiur Rahman told reporters.

“He is a Bangladeshi. We found a pistol from him and nothing else,” he added.

Earlier reports suggested that the suspect may have been mentally ill and had demanded to speak with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was visiting the coastal city of Chittagong.

 

 

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