Missing MAS flight: FBI to assist investigations

PETALING JAYA: The US government is sending the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) team to assist in investigating the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, based on the American citizenship of three of the passengers aboard the lost flight, LA Times reported Sunday.

A top federal law enforcement official in Washington said that a fourth passenger, whom he described as an infant flying with three Americans, also might be a US citizen.

"This gives us entree to the case," the official said, speaking confidentially because the FBI investigation was just beginning.

"But so far what happened is a mystery," he added.

On early Saturday morning, the flight carrying 239 passenger including 12 crewmembers was heading to Beijing but went missing at 1.30am, less than an hour after it took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

The Boeing 777-200ER did not send out any distress signal and its last known position was 120 nautical miles of Kota Baru.

The plane was due to arrive in Beijing at 6.30am.

Though two passengers were reportedly used stolen passports, a US senior counter terrorism official said there was no indication that it was a terrorist attack.

It was reported that there were two impostors on board, both with passports that were stolen in Thailand. 

Italian Luigi Maraldi, whose name is on the manifest, was not on the missing flight and he is now in Thailand. 

sumber : thestar.com.my