Biman Bangladesh Airlines plane 'hijacker' shot dead by military forces

A “terrorist” who tried to hijack a plane has been shot dead by Bangladeshi military forces, officials have said.

The suspect reportedly asked to speak to the country’s prime minister before he was gunned down in an exchange of gunfire with commandos.

The Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Dhaka to Dubai was forced to return to Chittagong, where it had stopped off, during the incident on Sunday.

All 143 passengers and seven crew members aboard the Boeing 737-800 were safely evacuated, Air Vice Marshal Mofidur Rahman said.

The flight took off from Dhaka at 4.35pm before the pilot made the emergency landing in Chittagong about 40 minutes later, officials said.

A crew member had reported "suspicious behaviour" by the man, a Bangladeshi.

The commandos fired at the suspect after he shot at them when they asked him to surrender, army Major General Motiur Rahman told reporters.

He said the suspect was carrying a pistol, but did not say where the shooting took place.

The army official said the suspect, whose name has not been released, asked to speak to his wife and to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The suspect died before reaching the hospital, he said.

The suspect appeared to be "mentally imbalanced," said the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority.

"I am saying this because of his behaviour. He wanted to talk to the prime minister."

Before the suspect was pronounced dead, Rahman had described him as a "terrorist" and said that he had been arrested and was being questioned.

Bangladeshi soldiers could be seen during a live TV broadcast taking positions inside Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong, 156 miles southeast of Dhaka.

It was reported earlier that the suspect had been arrested and was being questioned.