--- description: Investigators think the man used a wheelchair to conceal a bomb. title: Suicide Bomber Suspected to have Bombed Flight over Somalia image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85ba64344cb7aba7/69887c34f887dc1b1ce94761/suicide-bomber-suspected-flight-somalia.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Somalia](/tag/somalia/) ## Somalia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Man Sucked from Somali Jet May Have Been Suicide Bomber  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 4, 2016 8:38 PM CUT  A view from inside the airliner after an explosion aboard on February 2, 2016. A view from inside the airliner after an explosion aboard on February 2, 2016.Anadolu Agency—Getty Images  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 4, 2016 8:38 PM CUT A passenger sucked from a Somali commercial jet on Feb. 2 after an explosion blew a hole in its fuselage [may have been a suicide bomber](http://time.com/4205374/plane-explosion-somalia/ "undefined"), according to a new report. Investigators suspect the bomber used a wheelchair to smuggle an explosive device on board the Daallo Airlines plane, the [_Wall Street Journal_](http://time.com/4205374/plane-explosion-somalia/ "undefined") reports, citing an anonymous Western diplomat as a source. He was expelled from the cabin in the explosion, and authorities recovered his body about 20 miles from Mogadishu. “An individual got onto the plane in a wheelchair and is suspected of being the suicide bomber,” the diplomat said. After the blast, the Djibouti-bound plane performed an emergency landing back in Mogadishu. The pilot told the AP he thought the explosion [was a bomb blast](http://time.com/4207404/pilot-bomb-blast-jet-mogadishu/ "undefined"), but officials said they had not determined the cause. Two people on board suffered minor injuries. \[[_WSJ_](http://www.wsj.com/articles/somali-jet-blast-may-have-been-caused-by-suicide-bomber-1454603775 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4208448/suicide-bomber-somalia-flight/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4208448/suicide-bomber-somalia-flight/"},"headline":"Man Sucked from Somali Jet May Have Been Suicide Bomber","datePublished":"2016-02-04T20:38:30.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T14:47:00.026Z","description":"Investigators think the man used a wheelchair to conceal a bomb.","url":"https://time.com/4208448/suicide-bomber-somalia-flight/","keywords":["Somalia"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85ba64344cb7aba7/69887c34f887dc1b1ce94761/suicide-bomber-suspected-flight-somalia.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Julia Zorthian","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85ba64344cb7aba7/69887c34f887dc1b1ce94761/suicide-bomber-suspected-flight-somalia.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"suicide bomber suspected flight somalia","caption":"suicide bomber suspected flight somalia","creditText":"Anadolu Agency—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/somalia/","name":"Somalia"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4208448/suicide-bomber-somalia-flight/","name":"Man Sucked from Somali Jet May Have Been Suicide Bomber"}}]}] ```