Malaysia Airlines MH370: Interpol identifies mystery passengers High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft to buy additional rights. ft/cms/s/0/7ab54ed2-a907-11e3-bf0c-00144feab7de.html#ixzz2vfGnOnMH March 11, 2014 11:53 am Malaysia Airlines MH370: Interpol identifies mystery passengers By Jeremy Grant in Kuala Lumpur ©AFP Malaysian police handout photographs showing the two passengers suspected of using stolen European passports Interpol has named two Iranian men – one an asylum seeker – as the mystery passengers travelling on stolen passports on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared on Saturday with 239 people on board. The search for the identities of the two men had become a major part of the investigation into the disappearance of the Boeing 777 travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with concern that it might have been the target of a terrorist attack. More ON THIS STORY The World Malaysian mystery – ‘A series of very unlikely scenarios’ Q&A what happened to flight MH370? Thailand’s role at heart of identity crime Hunt for mystery air passengers intensifies Video Race to solve riddle of flight MH370 ON THIS TOPIC Interpol sounds alarm on passenger checks Mystery of missing Malaysia jet deepens Incident unprecedented in 777’s 19-year history Stolen passports add to lost 777 mystery IN ASIA-PACIFIC Pharma warns Australia on poppy shortage Distraught relatives wait for news of missing aircraft Anwar faces jail as acquittal overruled Death puts spotlight on Bitcoin hub But Interpol on Tuesday said the results of its investigation made a terrorist link less likely. “The more information we get, the more we are inclined to conclude it is not a terrorist incident,” said Ron Noble, Interpol secretary-general. He identified the two passengers as Pouri Nour Mohammad, 19, and Delavar Seyedmohammaderza, 29. The 19-year-old is believed to have planned to seek asylum in Germany. Their identities were revealed at the end of a day in which the search for the missing aeroplane was expanded with ships and aircraft from 10 countries combing a wider stretch of ocean almost four days after the aircraft disappeared from radar screens over the South China Sea. Interpol has been critical of some countries for not being vigilant enough in checking passports. Both of the stolen passports used on flight MH370 were on its stolen and lost travel documents database almost immediately after they were reported missing in 2012 and 2013, respectively. The revelation highlights how Malaysia has become a major hub in southeast Asia for the illegal traffic in asylum seekers and other migrants, including from Iran and Nigeria. “This is an environment where people have been able to come in with relative ease,” said one European diplomat in Kuala Lumpur. Authorities from Australia, Britain and other countries working with Malaysian immigration authorities routinely try and catch asylum seekers using stolen passports, aiming to get to Europe. Malaysian mystery The World In our world of super-surveillance it seems almost unthinkable that an airliner with 239 on board could have vanished without trace in one of the most populated regions of the world... Clive Cookson reports But Interpol in recent days expressed frustration that only a handful of countries – Malaysia not among them – use its database to ensure people with stolen passports are stopped from boarding international flights. “The number [of illegal migrants] being stopped in any given month [in Kuala Lumpur] is sufficient to demonstrate that Malaysia has an ongoing problem,” the diplomat said. “We are constantly encouraging them to tighten up.” The identification of the two passengers has become a major focus for investigators while the search continues for the airliner, which was less than two hours into a flight from the Malaysian capital to Beijing when it went missing. Malaysia Airlines said authorities were looking at a possibility of an attempt made by the aircraft to turn back to Subang, an airport 50km from Kuala Lumpur. “All angles are being looked at. We are not ruling out any possibilities,” said Ahmad Hauhari Yahya, the airline’s chief executive.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 14:31:55 +0000
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