A passenger on a Biman Bangladesh flight bound for Dubai reportedly hijacked the airplane using nothing more than a toy pistol. The Bangladesh passenger, who boarded the Dubai-bound plane in Dhaka on Sunday, threatened to blow up the aircraft with a bomb he allegedly had on his body. The man, believed to be in his 20s, tried to force his way into the cockpit in an attempt to take control of the plane.
The Biman Bangladesh jet airplane, a Boeing 737-800, made an emergency landing in the southeastern coastal city of Chittagong. Pilots were able to radio in a distress call, prompting authorities to immediately dispatch police and Special Forces to respond to the situation. The plane's pilots were able to land the aircraft safely after the hijacker failed to force his way into the cockpit. Commandos and swat teams were able to successfully storm the aircraft upon its landing, resulting in the death of the would-be hijacker.
Operatives shot the reportedly mentally unstable man, who was then transported to the nearest hospital. The man eventually died from his gunshot wounds. According to the commissioner of the Chittagong police, Kusum Dewan, authorities did not find any explosives on the man's body. Upon further inspection, it was later found out that the gun the man was carrying was a toy gun that was made to look like the real thing.
The commissioner also revealed that the man may have been having a personal issue with his wife and that he may have been mentally unstable. Authorities also revealed that he apparently wanted to speak with the country's prime minister, which was one of his demands when he hijacked the plane. It is not yet clear what his motives were or what he had hoped to achieve by hijacking the flight.
All 148 passengers and crew members were unharmed and had safely disembarked from the flight after the hijacker was taken down. The incident brought about an inquiry from the Civil Aviation Authority, which is now questioning airport security about how they weren't able to stop the man from boarding the aircraft with a pistol. Air Vice Marshal Nayeem Hasan told reporters that they will be conducting an internal investigation to find out how the passenger was able to board the plane even with their current security measures. Local authorities will also be conducting their own investigation into how the man was able to board the Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight in Dhaka and how he was able to smuggle the toy gun on board the plane. They are also now trying to identify the man and hopefully contact his relatives to inform them of what had happened.
