New Developments In Airliner Case
Two men who used stolen travel documents to board the Malaysia Airlines jet that vanished Saturday were caught by surveillance cameras and were not Asian in appearance, a Malaysian official said Monday, conflicting earlier reports about what the pair looked like. "We confirmed now they are not Asian-looking males," Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation chief, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, said at a news conference Monday. Azharuddin said investigators reviewed surveillance footage taken at the Kuala Lumpur airport "from check-in right to departure" and confirmed that security protocols were followed — despite the fact that two men managed to board with stolen Italian and Austrian passports.More from CNN:
According to Thai police officials, an Iranian man by the name of Kazem Ali purchased the tickets for two friends who he said wanted to return home to Europe. While Ali made the initial booking by telephone, either Ali or someone acting on his behalf paid for the tickets in cash, according to police. Rahman said Monday that authorities have reviewed security footage from the airport and said the men who traveled on the stolen passports "are not Asian-looking men." Interpol tweeted Sunday it was examining additional "suspect #passports."There have been no "credible claims of responsibility" by terrorist groups, but some experts are speculating that the aircraft's disappearance may have been a trial run for a larger scale attempt to come later.
Labels: air travel, China, Malaysia, tragedy
