Plane Hijack Bid: Suspect carried plastic toy gun

What was recovered from Polash Ahmed, alleged hijacker of a Biman Bangladesh Airlines aircraft, is a useless plastic toy gun, a ballistics test finds.  

Ballistics experts of the Criminal Investigation Department handed over the test report to Chattogram Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism (CT) unit on Tuesday.

Inspector Rajesh Barua of CT, who is investigating the attempted plane hijack, sent the toy gun and other items to the CID for ballistics and forensic tests following a court order.

The report also said it is not a firearm as there is no system to shoot any projectile. It is not possible to install any cartridge in or fire bullets from the toy pistol. Such kind of toy pistol is used to shoot small spherical rubber balls, and there is a little sound when the pistol releases the rubber ball.

Meanwhile, the committee, formed by the civil aviation and tourism ministry to investigate the hijack attempt of BG-147 flight on February 24, submitted its report yesterday.  

Civil Aviation Secretary Mohibul Haque confirmed that he received the report.

Asked about findings of the report, he said he was yet to read it. He added that the state minister for civil aviation was now abroad and after his return, it would be decided whether the report would be made public.

On February 25, the ministry formed the five-member committee, headed by its Additional Secretary Md Mokabbir Hossain, to investigate the incident.

Earlier, a top government official involved in the probe had said it was a toy gun, not a real one. There were no explosives inside the flight either, he added.

The official also confirmed that the suspect had small pieces of plastic pipes, wrapped in red tapes, which passengers initially thought to be explosives.

“But during investigation, it is found those were just plastic pipes,” he told The Daily Star, requesting anonymity.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh later suspended five of its security staffers, including a member of Airport Security Force, on charges of negligence in duty.

The five were involved in the security checking of the passengers and their baggage at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport's domestic terminal on the day of the incident. 

The action was taken in line with the primary findings of the probe body.

At 5:41pm on February 24, the Boeing 737-800 aircraft of the national flag carrier made an emergency landing at Chattogram's Shah Amanat International Airport after Polash allegedly attempted to hijack the plane.

He was killed later in an eight-minute operation by the members of army para commando unit.

A staff correspondent from Chattogram contributed to this report.