The missing Malaysia Airlines jet was veered off course for up to seven hours and is missing as a result of ‘deliberate action’, it has been confirmed.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak revealed the startling details surrounding the disappearance of flight 370 at a press conference this morning, before police began a search of the home of pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah. The plane, which was carrying 239 people, including two toddlers, disappeared a week ago and new information has shown that the flight was intentionally steered off-course by at least one person with “considerable flying experience”.
The final communication from the plane, which had been travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, was received more than six hours after it vanished at 1.30am on 8 March, during which time the flight changed direction and passed back over the Malaysian peninsula towards the Indian Ocean.
However, Mr Razak has stopped short of confirming that the plane was hijacked.
“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.”
