A press conference held by Malaysia Airlines at the Lido Hotel in Beijing, March 8, 2014
Authorities in Malaysia are investigating identities of two more passengers aboard the missing Malaysia Airlines flight who were using stolen passports, meaning that at least four people on the plane got through security with stolen IDs. Meanwhile, Malaysia’s air force chief said that authorities are looking into the “possibility” that the Beijing-bound plane had actually turned around and was possibly headed back towards Kuala Lumpur before its disappearance.
India Today relays that investigators were verifying the identities with embassies in Malaysia, according to an official. The passengers being checked all purchased their tickets through China Southern Airlines, which shares the Beijing-Kuala Lumpur route with Malaysia Airlines on a code-share basis.
The identities of the two people to whom the most recently discovered stolen passports originally belonged has not been disclosed.
Last night, two other passengers aboard MH370 were confirmed as having used stolen passports.
Thirty-seven-year-old Italian national Luigi Maraldi was named on the manifest list of missing people released by Malaysia Airlines but was confirmed alive in Thailand last night. His passport was stolen in August, meaning that one of the passengers onboard MH370 was using the stolen passport.
The stolen passport of a 30-year-old Austrian named Christian Kozel was also used by a passenger on the flight, as Kozel was named on the manifest but was confirmed alive in Austria. A foreign ministry spokesman in Vienna said that the passport was stolen two years ago while Kozel was traveling in Thailand.
In a new development, Malaysia’s air force chief, General Rodzali Daud, citing radar data, said that authorities are looking into the “possibility” that the plane had actually attempted to turn back, according to AFP.
“There is a distinct possibility the airplane did a turn-back, deviating from the course,” he said.
“One of the possibilities is that it was returning to Kuala Lumpur.”
Authorities have not ruled out terrorism in the flight’s sudden disappearance. US intelligence has been briefed on the stolen passports and reviewed the names of passengers in questions but so far have found nothing that indicates foul play.
“No nexus to terrorism yet,” a U.S. intelligence official said, “although that’s by no means definitive. We’re still tracking.”
Update (4:09 p.m.): Alleged flight details of fake passport holders released.
More clear: flight details fake passport holders #MH370. After Amsterdam 1 had ticket 2 Frankfurt, other 2 Copenhagen pic.twitter.com/Q23tQtjSi1
— Marcel Vink (马维克) (@marcelvink1973) March 9, 2014
New York Times correspondent Edward Wong said in a Twitter post that he’s witnessed security issues at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport before:
KLIA has security issues. I flew in Feb. with someone who completed flight in Malaysia on stranger's boarding pass. Stranger also on flight.
— Edward Wong (@comradewong) March 9, 2014
On last tweet: KLIA and airline never picked up on fact that 2 people were issued same boarding pass, and security guard waved both through.
— Edward Wong (@comradewong) March 9, 2014
Previously on Shanghaiist:
BREAKING: Malaysia Airlines flight en route to Beijing
29 Chinese artists onboard missing Malaysia Airlines flight
Pilot says he established contact with MH370 before it went missing
