CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh (FOX News) — A flight on the way to Dubai was forced to make an emergency landing in a Bangladesh city on Sunday after an attempted hijacking, officials said.
The Biman Bangladesh Airlines plane had taken off from the capital of Dhaka when it was forced to make an emergency landing at the airport in Chittagong, the airline’s general manager, Shakil Miraj, told Reuters.
The flight took off from Dhaka at 4:35 p.m. for the flight to Dubai via Chittagong. The pilot made the emergency landing in Chittagong about 40 minutes later, officials said, after a crew member reported “suspicious behavior” by the man.
Air Vice Marshal Mofidur Rahman of Bangladesh’s air force said at a news conference broadcast live on Somoy TV late Sunday the suspect, a Bangladeshi man, had been arrested and was being questioned. Rahman described the suspect as a “terrorist.”
Bangladeshi soldiers could be seen in the live broadcast taking positions inside Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong, located 156 miles southeast of Dhaka. Photos posted to Twitter also showed the aircraft being surrounded by emergency personnel.
Sidhant Sibal@sidhantBangladesh: Tense situation as police surround a plane at Chattogram airport after it was reported to be hijacked. The Dubai bound Biman plane is identified as flight BG147.
Rezaul Karim, an official with the Bangladeshi military’s inter-service public affairs office, told The Associated Press that the suspect was injured when military commandos opened fire on him. It was unclear where the shooting occurred, but officials said there were no casualties reported.
The 25-year-old suspect claimed to have had a pistol and a bomb, the Times of India reported.
