Image copyright EPA Image caption Security forces cordoned off the plane when it landed in Chittagong

A passenger suspected of attempting to hijack a flight from Bangladesh to Dubai has been shot dead by Bangladeshi special forces, local media report.

The suspect, who reportedly warned he had a pistol, was killed when security forces stormed the plane after it made an emergency landing in Chittagong.

All 148 passengers and crew on board the Biman Bangladesh Airlines Flight BG147 disembarked safely.

It is not yet clear why the suspect may have attempted to hijack the plane.

Army officials said the man, believed to be aged 25, was initially wounded when shots were fired on Sunday but died shortly afterwards, AFP news agency reports.

"We tried to arrest him or get him to surrender but he refused and then we shot him," Maj Gen Motiur Rahman told reporters.

"He is a Bangladeshi. We found a pistol from him and nothing else," he added.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Bangladeshi security forces stand guard at Shah Amanat International airport in Chittagong

Earlier reports suggested that the suspect may have been mentally ill and had demanded to speak with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was visiting the coastal city of Chittagong.

Staff on board the flight raised concerns after the man was said to have been acting suspiciously and indicating intent to hijack the plane, Reuters news agency reports, quoting airline officials.

The aircraft was immediately cordoned off when it landed at the Shah Amanat International airport in Chittagong as officers attempted to talk to the suspect.

Images posted on social media showed crowds of people on the tarmac at the airport with the Boeing 737-800 aircraft visible in the background.

The flight was originally scheduled to arrive in Dubai on Sunday evening after departing from Dhaka.</s>DHAKA (Reuters) - A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight to Dubai from Chittagong in Bangladesh made an emergency landing back at Chittagong on Sunday after what appeared to be an attempted hijacking, a senior official from the airline said.

All 142 passengers have subsequently been allowed to leave the plane, the airline’s general manager, Shakil Miraj, told Reuters.

Police and army are still surrounding the aircraft, he said.

“There were 142 passengers and all of them have come out from the aircraft safely,” said Miraj.

He said the Boeing 737 aircraft was scheduled to go from Dhaka to Dubai via Chittagong.</s>A man in his mid-twenties was shot as special forces rushed the plane after it landed AP

Bangladeshi commandos stormed an airliner yesterday and fatally shot an armed man who allegedly tried to hijack a flight bound for Dubai.

The suspect, described by officials as a Bangladeshi man in his mid-twenties, was shot as special forces rushed the Boeing 737-800 after it landed in the southeastern city of Chittagong. The 134 passengers and 14 crew were rescued unharmed, officials said.

The Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG147 left Dhaka at 4.35pm local time. Its pilot made an emergency landing less than an hour later after being told that a passenger was behaving suspiciously.

Soldiers boarded the aircraft after passengers and most of the crew evacuated. The assault took about eight minutes, according to local media.

“We didn’t even have the time to name…</s>A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight, en route Dubai from Dhaka, made an emergency landing at an airport in a coastal city in the country after a man allegedly attempted to hijack the plane, officials said.

The lone suspect has been detained and is being interrogated, Bangladesh's Air Vice Marshal Abdul Matin said.

Army, Navy and elite police cordoned off the plane soon after it landed at the Chattogram airport in southeastern Bangladesh.

All the passengers were evacuated safely.

"No one was hurt during the rescue operation," Matin said.

According to eyewitnesses, minutes after the Flight BG-147, which was on its way to Dubai from Dhaka via Chattogram, flew from the Chattogram Shah Amanat International Airport, it returned and made an emergency landing.

The emergency exit was opened through which the passengers disembarked immediately. The captain and the first officer of the flight also came out later, they said.

Though the identity of the hijacker is yet to be known, according to unconfirmed reports the hijacker was a foreign national and was equipped with a handgun.</s>A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight en route Dubai from Dhaka in Bangladesh made an emergency landing on Sunday at Chittagong after what appeared to be an attempted hijacking, an official from the airline said. All 142 people on board have been safely evacuated and police have surrounded the aircraft. The man suspected to be behind the attempt has also been detained.

Biman BG 147 made an emergency landing at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram after a gunman allegedly tried to take over the cockpit, Reuters reported.

The airline’s general manager Shakil Miraj told Reuters that the police and Army are still surrounding the aircraft. “There were 142 passengers and all of them have come out from the aircraft safely,” he said.</s>All passengers on board a Dubai-bound Bangladesh Biman plane are safe after a man apparently attempted to hijack the aircraft on Sunday, the national civil aviation chief said.

“All 150 plus passengers are safe,” Air Vice Marshall Nayeem Hasan told AFP of flight BG147 which had taken off from the capital Dhaka, adding that the man’s intentions were unclear.

“We think he is a suspected madman. He is saying that he has a bomb, but we are not sure,” Hasan said after the plane landed at Chittagong airport in southeastern Bangladesh, where the passengers were evacuated.</s>A Dubai-bound plane hijack attempt was foiled in Bangladesh today. The plane belongs to national flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines and was supposed to fly to Dubai from Dhaka via Chittagong.</s>DHAKA (Reuters) - A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight to Dubai from Chittagong in Bangladesh made an emergency landing back at Chittagong on Sunday after a passenger behaved suspiciously and appeared to be wanting to hijack the plane, a senior official from the airline said.

All 142 passengers have subsequently been allowed to leave the aircraft, the airline’s general manager, Shakil Miraj, told Reuters.

The passenger who raised suspicions, a young man whose purpose and identity are not yet known, has been detained, Miraj said.

Police and army are still surrounding the aircraft, he said.

“There were 142 passengers and all of them have come out from the aircraft safely,” said Miraj.

The pilot decided to make an emergency landing after being told by a member of the cabin crew that the passenger was behaving suspiciously, leading to concerns about a possible hijack plan, he said.

Miraj said the Boeing 737 aircraft was scheduled to go from Dhaka to Dubai via Chittagong.</s>A flight bound for Dubai from Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, made an emergency landing Sunday at the airport in Chittagong, Bangladesh, after a man attempted to hijack the plane, an official said.

There were no casualties from the incident on the state-run Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight, Air Vice Marshal Mofidur Rahman of Bangladesh's air force said at a news conference broadcast live on Somoy TV late Sunday. He said a suspect, a Bangladeshi man, had been arrested and was being questioned. Rahman described the suspect as a "terrorist."

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.

Bangladeshi soldiers could be seen in the live broadcast taking positions inside Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong, 252 kilometers (156 miles) southeast of Dhaka.

Rahman declined to provide more details about the incident, but said that all 143 passengers and seven crew members aboard the Boeing 737-800 jet had been evacuated and were safe.

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.

Bangladeshi air force spokesman Nur Islam told The Associated Press by phone that "the situation was under control."</s>Bangladeshi commandoes shot a passenger on Sunday who had tried to enter the cockpit of a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight after waving a gun and threatening to blow up the plane, airline and aviation authority officials said.
Bangladeshi special forces shoot and kill an armed man after he attempted to hijack a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight heading to Dubai International Airport. All 148 passengers and crew members disembarked safely.