Photo clue to plane shooting
Investigators have released a new photo of what they say is the missile launcher believed responsible for the downing of flight MH17.
INVESTIGATORS have released a new photo of what they say is the missile launcher believed responsible for the downing of flight MH17 more than three years ago.
The Joint Investigation Team yesterday released an image of what they said was a Buk-Telar launcher thought to have fired the missile which brought the plane down over eastern Ukraine with the loss of 298 lives.
“This picture was probably taken on July 17, 2014, in the town of Makeevka, Ukraine. The JIT presumes that the picture contains the BUKTelar which is responsible for downing flight MH17,” the JIT tweeted.
“The JIT requests anyone who has any kind of information about the picture, the vehicles on it and the location where the picture was taken to contact the JIT.”
It said investigators would talk to potential witnesses in languages including Russian or Ukrainian and would protect their identity.
The release of the photo comes as the officer leading the Australian Federal Police investigation, Superintendent David Nelson, said he was confident charges would be brought against those who shot the plane down, despite three years passing without a single person being extradited or charges laid.
“I’m confident that we will (lay charges),’’ Supt Nelson told News Corp. “Now the real focus is on the who.’’
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was travelling between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur when it brought down with a Russian-manufactured surface-to-air missile as it flew over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing everyone on board including 38 Australian citizens or residents.
Three years on, 10 AFP officers – six in the Netherlands and four in Ukraine – remain assigned to the international investigation full-time, as Dutch prosecutors edge towards bringing charges against some of the 100 “persons of interest’’ in the case.
Charges of murder, and Dutch-specific charges of bringing down an aircraft, are being prepared by the Joint Investigation Team, comprising five affected countries including Australia and the Ukraine, and led by the Dutch.