March 11, 2014 ON missing Malaysia Airlines jet MH370 MH370 Passenger With Stolen Passport Identified as Iranian Man At a March 11, 2014 press conference, a Malaysian police woman holds up a picture of a 19-year-old Iranian, identified as Pouria Nour Muhammad Mehrdad, who authorities said boarded the now missing Malaysia Airlines jet MH370 with a stolen passport. One of the two men who boarded Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 with a stolen passport was identified as a 19-year-old Iranian with no known terrorist connections, authorities said at a press conference today. Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said the man, named Pouria Nour Mohammad Mehrdad, was likely trying to enter Germany to seek asylum. His mother contacted authorities after he didnt arrive in Frankfurt. The other man who boarded the flight with a stolen passport has not been identified. The announcement was the first certain piece of news in what has become a baffling mystery over the fate of the missing jetliner. Earlier Tuesday, authorities expanded their search for the Boeing 777 on the opposite side of the country’s coast from where it disappeared days ago with 239 people on board. Mystery Surrounds Missing Malaysia Airlines Flight Khalid said investigators had not ruled out any possibility, including hijacking, sabotage or a personal motive to down the plane by either the crew or passengers. He also said that the police had no prior information or intelligence about any involvement of terrorists. The plane took off from Kuala Lumpur, on the western coast of Malaysia, early Saturday en route to Beijing. It flew overland across Malaysia and crossed the eastern coast into the Gulf of Thailand before disappearing from radar screens. The airline says the pilots didnt send any distress signals, suggesting a sudden and possibly catastrophic incident. In a statement, Malaysia Airlines said search and rescue teams have expanded the scope beyond the flight path to the West Peninsula of Malaysia at the Straits of Malacca. An earlier statement had said the western coast of Malaysia was now the focus, but the airline subsequently said that phrase was an oversight. The search is on both sides, Civil aviation chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said. Authorities are looking at a possibility that MH370 attempted to turn back toward Kuala Lumpur. If it did indeed retrace its path, the plane could conceivably have crashed into the sea on the western coast, the other side of Malaysia from where it was reported missing. But this doesnt explain why it did not continue to show on radar while flying back toward Kuala Lumpur, and Malaysia Airlines or other authorities have not addressed that question. All angles are being looked at. We are not ruling out any possibilities, is all that the Malaysia Airlines statement said. Malaysias air force chief also said Sunday there were indications on military radar that the jet may have done a U-turn. Potential clues discovered during the search have failed to bring authorities closer to the missing plane. Samples from an oil slick – as well as an orange object spotted floating in the ocean – had nothing to do with the plane wreckage, authorities said. Source: ABC News / DAN GOOD and BEN GITTLESON / Wong Maye-E/Associated Press Ben Gittleson More from Ben »Desk Assistant via Good Morning America
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 10:58:30 +0000
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