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| Iranian traveling on Malaysia Airlines with stolen passport was seeking asylum | Iranian traveling on Malaysia Airlines with stolen passport was seeking asylum |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysian and international authorities said Tuesday that two Iranians who boarded an ill-fated passenger jet with fake passports did not appear to have any terrorist links. | KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysian and international authorities said Tuesday that two Iranians who boarded an ill-fated passenger jet with fake passports did not appear to have any terrorist links. |
| “The more information we get, the more we are inclined to conclude it is not a terrorist incident,” Ronald Noble, secretary general of the international police agency Interpol, told reporters. | “The more information we get, the more we are inclined to conclude it is not a terrorist incident,” Ronald Noble, secretary general of the international police agency Interpol, told reporters. |
| That conclusion seemed to snuff out one of the few leads investigators had gathered about the vanished Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 as search teams battled wind and whitecaps while looking for any sign of debris, especially wreckage containing the plane’s crucial cockpit recorders. | |
| Although the Malaysian investigation continues to look for signs of foul play, including sabotage or hijacking, authorities seemed to downplay any connection between the plane’s fate and the two passengers who boarded it with fake Austrian and Italian documents. They were identified as Pouria Nour Mohammad Mehrdad, 19, and Delavar Seyed Mohammad Reza, 29. Both arrived in Malaysia the same day, Feb. 28, officials said. | Although the Malaysian investigation continues to look for signs of foul play, including sabotage or hijacking, authorities seemed to downplay any connection between the plane’s fate and the two passengers who boarded it with fake Austrian and Italian documents. They were identified as Pouria Nour Mohammad Mehrdad, 19, and Delavar Seyed Mohammad Reza, 29. Both arrived in Malaysia the same day, Feb. 28, officials said. |
| At a news conference in Kuala Lumpur, Khalid Abu Bakar, inspector general of Malaysia’s police, said that the 19-year-old was trying to migrate to Germany: His mother had been waiting for him in Frankfurt, then called Malaysian authorities when he did not show up. Interpol identified the other Iranian at a separate news conference, though his reasons for traveling were not immediately clear. | At a news conference in Kuala Lumpur, Khalid Abu Bakar, inspector general of Malaysia’s police, said that the 19-year-old was trying to migrate to Germany: His mother had been waiting for him in Frankfurt, then called Malaysian authorities when he did not show up. Interpol identified the other Iranian at a separate news conference, though his reasons for traveling were not immediately clear. |
| Khalid said that Malaysia, four days into its search, has been examining images of baggage, studying closed-circuit monitors for suspicious behavior at the airport terminal and trying to obtain photos and profiles of all 227 passengers on board. Chinese public security officials visited Malaysian police Tuesday morning and provided the information on all 153 Chinese on board. | Khalid said that Malaysia, four days into its search, has been examining images of baggage, studying closed-circuit monitors for suspicious behavior at the airport terminal and trying to obtain photos and profiles of all 227 passengers on board. Chinese public security officials visited Malaysian police Tuesday morning and provided the information on all 153 Chinese on board. |
| But Khalid admitted there was no leading theory about what happened to the plane. | But Khalid admitted there was no leading theory about what happened to the plane. |
| “What confirmed information do we have? Nothing,” he said. | “What confirmed information do we have? Nothing,” he said. |
| Since the plane disappeared Saturday morning from civilian radar without issuing a distress call, search teams from 10 nations have been scouring two vast areas of sea, one east of Malaysia, one to the west. If the plane followed its flight path to Beijing, its remains would be in the eastern area — the Gulf of Thailand. | Since the plane disappeared Saturday morning from civilian radar without issuing a distress call, search teams from 10 nations have been scouring two vast areas of sea, one east of Malaysia, one to the west. If the plane followed its flight path to Beijing, its remains would be in the eastern area — the Gulf of Thailand. |
| But a new, unconfirmed theory surfaced Tuesday that suggested the jet had veered off course, ending up in the Malacca Strait. Reuters news agency, citing an unidentified Malaysian military source, said the plane flew across the Malaysian peninsula in its final minutes, where it was picked up by military radar. Malaysian media reported that some residents spotted a plane flying at about 3,000 feet — 10 times lower than cruising altitude — near the eastern city of Kota Bharu. | But a new, unconfirmed theory surfaced Tuesday that suggested the jet had veered off course, ending up in the Malacca Strait. Reuters news agency, citing an unidentified Malaysian military source, said the plane flew across the Malaysian peninsula in its final minutes, where it was picked up by military radar. Malaysian media reported that some residents spotted a plane flying at about 3,000 feet — 10 times lower than cruising altitude — near the eastern city of Kota Bharu. |
| If the plane dropped from a low altitude into the Malacca Strait, it might explain the lack of major debris field. Malaysia Airlines said in a statement early Tuesday that the western coast of Malaysia was “now the focus” of the search. But a spokeswoman for the airline later said the wording was a mistake and that there was no particular emphasis on any location. | If the plane dropped from a low altitude into the Malacca Strait, it might explain the lack of major debris field. Malaysia Airlines said in a statement early Tuesday that the western coast of Malaysia was “now the focus” of the search. But a spokeswoman for the airline later said the wording was a mistake and that there was no particular emphasis on any location. |
| Crews are not yet using underground technology to search the sea floor. | Crews are not yet using underground technology to search the sea floor. |
| The search process so far has been fruitless, and those involved say it is becoming harder by the hour. Ten countries, 42 vessels and 35 aircraft are involved in the operation, but pilots and planes need rest and maintenance, and Malaysia might need to scale back its search effort in the coming days. | The search process so far has been fruitless, and those involved say it is becoming harder by the hour. Ten countries, 42 vessels and 35 aircraft are involved in the operation, but pilots and planes need rest and maintenance, and Malaysia might need to scale back its search effort in the coming days. |
| Meanwhile, wind and waves have expanded the search area, and whitecaps made it difficult Tuesday for search teams to spot wreckage — at least for the many crews working without radar technology. The United States is using both P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft and helicopters that fly just 500 feet above the water and depend on crews to spot potential debris. | Meanwhile, wind and waves have expanded the search area, and whitecaps made it difficult Tuesday for search teams to spot wreckage — at least for the many crews working without radar technology. The United States is using both P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft and helicopters that fly just 500 feet above the water and depend on crews to spot potential debris. |
| With the surveillance aircraft, “the software that goes with the radar is smart enough to cancel out those waves,” Cmdr. William Marks, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet, said in a phone interview from the Gulf of Thailand. “However, if you’re just using your eyeballs, it is a significant challenge, because the water is not flat any more.” | With the surveillance aircraft, “the software that goes with the radar is smart enough to cancel out those waves,” Cmdr. William Marks, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet, said in a phone interview from the Gulf of Thailand. “However, if you’re just using your eyeballs, it is a significant challenge, because the water is not flat any more.” |
| With a void of information about what went wrong, investigators have focused on trying to find evidence of sabotage, hijacking or some psychological or personal problem among the passengers or crew. | With a void of information about what went wrong, investigators have focused on trying to find evidence of sabotage, hijacking or some psychological or personal problem among the passengers or crew. |
| Asked for more details on how personal problems might be relevant, Khalid threw out a hypothetical situation that perhaps someone could have taken out substantial life insurance and used the crash as a payoff for his family. | Asked for more details on how personal problems might be relevant, Khalid threw out a hypothetical situation that perhaps someone could have taken out substantial life insurance and used the crash as a payoff for his family. |
| Another particularly sensitive possibility, mentioned by aviation experts but not by Malaysian authorities, is pilot suicide, in which the pilot could have turned off the transponder and deviated from the flight path. | Another particularly sensitive possibility, mentioned by aviation experts but not by Malaysian authorities, is pilot suicide, in which the pilot could have turned off the transponder and deviated from the flight path. |
| There have been two cases in recent years in which a pilot or crew member is believed to have intentionally caused a plane to crash: the disaster involving SilkAir Flight 185, which spiraled into the ground in Indonesia in 1997, killing 97 passengers and seven crew members; and the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990, which plunged into the Atlantic south of Nantucket in 1999, killing 217 people. | There have been two cases in recent years in which a pilot or crew member is believed to have intentionally caused a plane to crash: the disaster involving SilkAir Flight 185, which spiraled into the ground in Indonesia in 1997, killing 97 passengers and seven crew members; and the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990, which plunged into the Atlantic south of Nantucket in 1999, killing 217 people. |
| But Steve Marks, a Miami aviation lawyer who represented families in two instances in which an airliner plummeted from cruising altitude, pointed to a mechanical failure as the most likely cause of the Malaysia Airlines tragedy. | But Steve Marks, a Miami aviation lawyer who represented families in two instances in which an airliner plummeted from cruising altitude, pointed to a mechanical failure as the most likely cause of the Malaysia Airlines tragedy. |
| “There can be a mechanical problem that can occur at altitude, where the pilots are unable to report the failure and the aircraft is lost on radar,” he said. | “There can be a mechanical problem that can occur at altitude, where the pilots are unable to report the failure and the aircraft is lost on radar,” he said. |
| Nonetheless, he said, the failure of all communications from Flight MH370 made it “the most mysterious” crash in his recollection. | Nonetheless, he said, the failure of all communications from Flight MH370 made it “the most mysterious” crash in his recollection. |
| Qin Gang, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, pushed Malaysia on Tuesday to “step up efforts” in its search and to perform “other follow-up work including comforting the relatives.” Malaysia Airlines said it would provide $5,000 to families for out-of-pocket necessities as they mourn and decide whether to travel to a command center in Kuala Lumpur. The money is separate from compensation that victims stand to receive eventually. | Qin Gang, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, pushed Malaysia on Tuesday to “step up efforts” in its search and to perform “other follow-up work including comforting the relatives.” Malaysia Airlines said it would provide $5,000 to families for out-of-pocket necessities as they mourn and decide whether to travel to a command center in Kuala Lumpur. The money is separate from compensation that victims stand to receive eventually. |
| Wan and Denyer reported from Beijing. Ashley Halsey, Ernesto Londoño and Adam Taylor in Washington, and Liu Liu, Gu Jinglu and Xu Jing in Beijing contributed to this report. | Wan and Denyer reported from Beijing. Ashley Halsey, Ernesto Londoño and Adam Taylor in Washington, and Liu Liu, Gu Jinglu and Xu Jing in Beijing contributed to this report. |