Najib: MH370 was deliberately turned back
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KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said there was a high degree of certainty that aircraft MH370′s main communications being switched off and its turning back was ‘consistent with deliberate action.’
He also confirmed that the unidentified aircraft, which made a turn towards at the east coast of Malaysia before turning towards the Andaman seas, was indeed flight MH370.
He added that the last satellite contact from plane was at 8.11 am ,more than six hours after primary radar was lost.
Speaking at a packed press conference today, Najib also said : “Based on the satellite communication system, the aircraft’s addressing and reporting system was disabled before it reached the east coast of Peninsula ( Malaysia). Plus, the aircraft’s transponder was switched off near the Malaysia-Vietnam border.
“And based on the satellite’s data, we can confirm that the plane was indeed MH370,”
“Based on new satellite information, we can say with a high degree of certainty that the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) was disabled just before the aircraft reached the East coast of peninsular Malaysia.
“Shortly afterwards, near the border between Malaysian and Vietnamese air traffic control, the aircraft’s transponder was switched off.
“From this point onwards, the Royal Malaysian Air Force primary radar showed that an aircraft which was believed – but not confirmed – to be MH370 did indeed turn back.
“It then flew in a westerly direction back over peninsular Malaysia before turning northwest. Up until the point at which it left military primary radar coverage, these movements are consistent with deliberate action by someone on the plane.
However, he said that the the investigators were not able to confirm the precise location of the plane when it last made contact with the satellite but affirmed that the plane’s last communication with the satellite was in one of two possible corridors: a northern corridor stretching approximately from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to northern Thailand, or a southern corridor stretching approximately from Indonesia to the southern Indian ocean.
“The investigations team is making further calculations which will indicate how far the aircraft may have flown after this last point of contact. This will help us to refine the search,” Najib explained.
He then said that with the latest development the authorities have refocused their investigation into the crew and passengers in board.
“Despite media reports that the plane was hijacked, I wish to be very clear: we are still investigating all possibilities as to what caused MH370 to deviate from its original flight path,” he said.
Shortly after Najib ended the press conference, Reuters reported that the police have raided the home of pilot, Zaharie Ahmad Shah.
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