Failed hijacking of airliner underlines poor security at Bangladeshi airports and vulnerability to IED attacks

On 24 February, Bangladeshi security forces shot dead a man who had attempted to hijack a Biman Bangladesh Airlines passenger flight after it made an emergency landing at Shah Amanat International Airport in the Bangladeshi city of Chittagong. The Dubai-bound flight had taken off from Dhaka's Shah Jalal International Airport – the country's busiest airport – before the assailant attempted to break into the cockpit of the Boeing 737-800. Bangladeshi media reports claim that the man was armed with a hand gun and fired three shots after he failed to gain access to the cockpit, instead forcing the plane to land in Chittagong. The hijacker released the passengers at the airport, but kept one crew member hostage while he negotiated for a call with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and members of his family. However, security forces raided the plane after the man became "aggressive". No other casualties were reported.

Significance: The hijacker's demands and the lack of any claim of responsibility by Islamist militant groups – several of which operate in Bangladesh – indicate that the attempted hijacking was not politically motivated. Nevertheless, the assailant's ability to evade security measures at the country's main international airport with an apparent hand gun – later described by local police officials as a "toy" – underlines the lax security measures at Bangladeshi airports. Although terrorism risks have reduced in Bangladesh since 2017, Islamic State-affiliated militants in the country have demonstrated intent to target Dhaka airport; in March 2017, a suicide bomber targeted a police checkpoint outside the airport, killing only himself. IHS Markit assesses that Dhaka airport's poor security rendered it an attractive target for Islamist militant groups, encouraging crude improvised explosive device (IED) and suicide attacks at the airport's perimeter and inside the main terminal. Smaller regional airports are also likely to have poor security and are vulnerable to attacks. However, the decline in militant activity in Bangladesh since 2017 suggests that these groups have been heavily disrupted, mitigating the risk of a successful attack in the one-year outlook.