Bangladesh: plane must land urgently after attempted kidnapping

DHAKA. – A Biman Bangladesh Airlines plane traveling to

Dubai

Chittagong made an emergency landing Sunday after returning to the city following what appeared to be an attempt to divert the ship, said a company official.

The 142 pbadengers were able to leave the ship, said Shakil Miraj, director of the airline, who said: "The 142 people who were in the plane left the ship without inconvenience."

On the other hand, after landing, Bangladeshi special forces entered the plane and shot and killed an armed man, a military official said. The suspect, described by sources as a 25-year-old Bangladeshi, was shot dead by special forces who entered the plane after landing in Chittagong (south-east of the country). He died shortly after his arrest, said Army spokesman Major General Motiur Rahman, who added, "We found him a gun and nothing else. "

The air force also explained that the suspect was occupied while Special Forces were preparing to enter the aircraft. "He asked to speak to our Prime Minister (Sheikh Hasina) .He said that he had a gun, but it is not known for the moment whether it was true or false," he said. they declared.

The head of civil aviation, Nayeem Hasan, said earlier that the suspect had claimed to have a bomb. "Judging by the discussions and the dialogue we had with him, he seems psychologically disturbed," Hasan added after the arrest.

Another army spokesman, Abdullah Ibn Zaid, said that the alleged kidnapper had in his hands a gun and a bomb.

"Special forces of the army led the operation and the armed man was neutralized, the situation at the international airport is under the control of the Bangladeshi army," he added.

Bangladesh, a country of 165 million people, mostly Muslim, is facing a surge of extremism by Islamists, who have killed atheists and progressive militants in recent years.

Reuters and AFP agencies