Biman hijack attempt foiled, suspect killed

A reported attempt to hijack a Biman Bangladesh Airlines plane was foiled and the lone suspect was shot dead in a commando operation at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram on Sunday.
The plane was surrounded by members of the army, SWAT, Rapid Action Battalion, and police while four fire engines were on standby immediately after it made an emergency landing at the airport at about 5:40pm.
The identity of 25-26-year suspect could not to be established, Chattogram Metropolitan Police commissioner Mahbubur Rahman told New Age at 10:30pm.
None of the 147 passengers and 7 crew members was hurt during the attempted hijack of the Biman aircraft Boeing 737-800 and they came out of the flight BG 147 by its four emergency gates, said airport officials. 
Chattogram area commander and 24 Infantry Division general officer commanding Major General Matiur Rahman at a briefing at the Shah Amanat International Airport said that their commandos reached the airport and successfully completed the operation. 
‘Air Force first came to know that the plane was hijacked as the pilot informed it from cockpit,’ he told the reporters.
‘The hijacker was lone man. His age was about 25-26 years. Our commandos initially asked him to surrender, but normal action was taken as he refused and became aggressive,’ he said.
‘The hijacker was initially injured and later we got to know he died already,’ he said. 
Matiur said that the suspect only wanted to talk to prime minister Sheikh Hasina and his wife and made no other demand. 
He added that the suspect had only one pistol and the whole commando operation, participated by the same commando group involved during the Holey Artisan attack, ended in eight minutes. 
Earlier, BAF Base Zahurul Haque air officer commanding Air Vice-Marshal Mofidul Islam in Chattogram said that on immediate information they rushed to the spot and evacuated the pilots and later the passengers and others.
He said no injury was reported, nothing was affected and the hijacker was held and was being brought out.
Mofidul said that he talked to the suspect who wanted to talk to the prime minister and his wife, and operation was conducted keeping him busy over the phone. He said the prime minister office monitored the operation. 
Earlier, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh chairman Air Vice-Marshal M Naim Hassan said at a briefing in Dhaka that he suspected hijacker was carrying a weapon and a bomb.
‘So far I know, he was carrying a firearms and a bomb was tied with his body,’ he said.
The flight operations became normal at Shah Amanat International Airport at about 8:00pm, he said. 
Civil aviation additional secretary Mokabbir Hossain said that the BG 147 was a regular Dhaka-Chattogram-Dubai flight.
The flight took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at about 4:30pm and landed at Chattogram at 5:40am and was finally scheduled to fly for Dubai at 6:15pm.
The security clearance was done by the Air Force-led aviation security unit at the Dhaka airport before it took off. 
Aviation security unit commanding officer Wing Commander Nur Siddique said that they were now examining how the passenger got firearms despite multiple scanning and cameras at the country’s main airport. 
‘We are now examining the CCTV footages we have at the airport to determine whether the youth boarded on the plane from domestic terminal or the international terminal by crossing the immigration,’ said a security official.
A senior police officer at the Dhaka airport said they were first informed by the airlines some 25 minutes after the plane had taken off, and alerted police officials at the Chattogram airport.
Osman Gani, a transit passenger came from Oman and travelling to Chattogram, told reporters that the suspect asked all of them to remain seated 20 minutes after the plane had taken off, and heard sound of gunshots as the passengers were terrified.
Talking to the reporters, other passengers said the suspect went to near cockpit and tried to open its door but it was locked from inside. 
Another passenger Sadman Sakib said that they got down by the emergency exit.
Passengers said that the suspect asked the crew members to evacuate all passengers. 
Civil aviation secretary Md Mohibul Haque said that he ordered suspension of all of the security personnel involved in the security examination for the flight.
He said that an inquiry team would be working from today to examine in which stage the passenger got the gun.
At 11:00pm, civil aviation ministry public relations officer Tanbir Ahmed stated that a five-member committee headed by additional secretary Mokabbir Hossain was formed.
The civil aviation authority chairman said that through investigation would be done on how it was possible to take a gun when the scanning could detect anyone carrying a nail cutter and toy guns. 
He said the suspect’s chest was wrapped with bomb-like vest.
Chattogram Metropolitan Police additional deputy commissioner Amena Begum said that on information they rushed to the airport and cordoned it off.
At about 12:30am on Monday, the CMP deputy commissioner Hamidul Alam said that the seizure list over the incident was underway and no firearm was found with the body.
Patenga police station officer-in-charge Uttam Barua said that an inquest was done that suggested the suspect was shot in the upper abdomen. ‘We received the body from the army,’ he said. 
Between 5:10pm and 10:00pm, local and international operators could not start their flight operation on different destinations including of Muscat, Jeddah, Dubai and Doha.
Airport officials said that the captain of the flight Shafiq became mentally exhausted and unable to pilot the flight for the day.
Regent Airways officials said that Chattogram-bound flight from Bangkok landed in Dhaka as it did not get permission to land in Chattogram.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net