Bangladeshi plane ‘hijacker’ with toy gun shot dead
The man was killed after security forces stormed Boeing 737
A man suspected of attempting to hijack a passenger plane flying from Bangladesh to Dubai has been shot dead by Bangladeshi special forces.
The suspect - described by officials as a 25-year-old Bangladeshi national - “took at least two members of the crew hostage using a toy gun” shortly after Bangladesh Airlines Flight BG 147 took off from capital Dhaka on Sunday evening, CNN reports.
“He tried to create a panic among the cabin crew and claimed that he wanted to enter the cockpit,” Tanbir Ahmed, spokesperson for the Bangladeshi Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, told the news network.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
According to Sky News, the suspect told the pilot that he had “a personal issue” with his wife and demanded to speak to the country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Security forces stormed the Boeing 737 after it landed at the Shah Amanat International Airport in the southeastern city of Chittagong for a scheduled stopover.
All 148 passengers and crew on board the plane were safely evacuated before the commandos moved in.
“We tried to arrest [the suspect] or get him to surrender but he refused and then we shot him,” Major General S.M. Motiur Rahman of the Bangladesh Army told reporters.
The suspect died on the way to hospital.
The name on his flight ticket was Mazikul Islam, but police “believe he has several identities and are trying to confirm his real name”, says CNN.
Air Vice Marshal Hassan said he appeared to be “mentally imbalanced”.
An investigation is to be launched into how the suspected hijacker managed to smuggle “even a fake gun” past security at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, reports Indian news site NDTV.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
A new continent is slipping through the cracks
Under the Radar Landmasses are not as stable as they seem
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: January 31, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku medium: January 31, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the sea
In the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
By The Week UK Published
-
The nuclear threat: is Vladimir Putin bluffing?
Talking Point Kremlin's newest ballistic missile has some worried for Nato nations
By The Week UK Published
-
Russia vows retaliation for Ukrainian missile strikes
Speed Read Ukraine's forces have been using U.S.-supplied, long-range ATCMS missiles to hit Russia
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published