2009 suicide air raid on Colombo was an unsuccessful kamikaze-style suicide attack launched by the air wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on February 20 , 2009 , targeting military locations in and around Colombo , Sri Lanka . It is speculated that the attacks were intended to be similar to the September 11 attacks , where aircraft were used as flying bombs and crashed directly into their targets . However the attacks failed as the Sri Lanka Air Force detected the two explosive packed aircraft and shot them down before they reached their presumed targets , although one crashed into a government building in Colombo . On the ground , two people died and over 50 were injured as a result of the attacks
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
2009 suicide air raid on Colombo