Bangladesh plane hijacker was 'listed criminal'

Police in Bangladesh on Monday said that the man who was shot dead after attempting to hijack a plane carrying 156 people using a toy gun, has been identified as a "listed criminal" as his name featured on the law enforcement database.

The incident took place onboard the Biman Bangladesh Airlines Flight BG 147 that had been travelling to Dubai from Dhaka, with a scheduled stopover in the city of Chittagong, on Sunday evening.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the elite anti-crime unit of the Bangladesh Police, has identified the suspect as Polash Ahmed, who hailed from Dudhghata in Narayanganj.

RAB Law and Media Wing Director Mufti Mahmud Khan told bdnews24 that the suspect was identified after they located his name on the passenger list.

Khan, however, did not state the offence for which Ahmed's name had been entered into the criminal database.

Ahmed was killed when security forces stormed the Boeing 737 after it landed at Chittagong's Shah Amanat International Airport.

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

--IANS

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