Biman hijack: Was the suspect carrying a toy gun?
The suspect was killed in an exchange of fire with security forces during a raid at Chittagong airport
There is now speculation over whether the armed suspect, who attempted to hijack a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight, had been carrying a toy pistol.
The authorities concerned say that they are investigating the matter.
Shakil Meraj, general manager (Public Relations) of Biman told the Dhaka Tribune that law enforcement agencies are supposed to determinethe matter.
When contacted, Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Commissioner Mahbubur Rahman evaded the issue of a toy pistol.
“We are looking into the issue with all seriousness,” said the CMP chief.
However, a bdnews24 report said the CMP chief had confirmed that the suspect possessed a toy pistol.
State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mahbub Ali echoed this during a late night television talk show.
Yet, during a televised press briefing on Monday, the state minister evaded the question regarding the toy pistol, and said the matter will be cleared up when the investigation is complete.
On Sunday night, an armed suspect—who tried to hijack a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight—was killed in an exchange of fire with security forces during a raid at the Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong.
Upon initial investigation RAB confirmed the armed suspect has been identified as Md Palash Ahmed.
Confirming the matter to the Dhaka Tribune, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Legal and Media Wing Director Mufti Mahmud Khan said: “RAB ran a fingerprint search of the suspected [attempted] hijacker in the criminal database.
“Database records revealed the identity of the suspect as Md Palash Ahmed, a resident of Sonargaon area in Narayanganj. According to the passenger records of the flight, Palash booked a Dhaka-Chittagong flight on the plane. His seat number was 17A.”
