Fears that missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH307 may have been taken down by terrorists were heightened today after authorities confirmed the identities two passengers are under investigation.
It comes as the chief of the Malaysian Air Force said that radar indicated the missing plane may have turned back before it crashed.
‘What we have done is actually look into the recording on the radar that we have and we realised there is a possibility the aircraft did make a turn back,’ Rodzali Daud, the Royal Malaysian Air Force chief, told reporters at a news conference.
Despite dozens of military and civilians vessels and aircraft criss-crossing waters to the east and west of Malaysia, no wreckage has been found, although oil slicks have been reported in the sea south of Vietnam.
Malaysian Security officials earlier revealed they had footage of two passengers traveling on passports stolen in Thailand — one registered to an Italian and the other an Austrian — making their way through Kuala Lumpur passport control to the aircraft.
The passengers being checked had all bought their tickets through China Southern Airlines.
It appears the the tickets linked to the Italian and Austrian passports were bought together in Thai baht at identical prices, according to China’s official e-ticket verification system Travelsky. The ticket numbers are contiguous, which indicates the tickets were issued together.
It follows reports that an anonymous pilot told Malaysian newspapers that he had heard a ‘mumbled’ last transmission from the aircraft — although this is contradicted by air traffic controllers who say there was no distress call.
U.S. officials also confirmed they have dispatched a team of safety experts including FBI agents to Southeast Asia to assist in the investigation of the Boeing 777, which disappeared shortly after takeoff with 239 people on board.
While the wreckage of the plane has still not been found, new photos of oil slicks in the South China Sea have emerged and a growing body of evidence is beginning to point towards a terrorist attack.
And dramatically, a second pilot who was in the skies over the South China Sea when the 777 vanished has spoken about hearing ‘mumbling’ at the other end of communications with the plane, Daily Mail informs.
