Missing jet pilot was activist for opposition leader
Malaysian authorities refocus investigation on pilot, crew.
The pilot of the Malaysia Airlines jet that vanished more than a week ago is a strong supporter of the political opposition leader here, but friends vehemently deny that he is a terrorist.
Malaysian authorities said Sunday that they were “refocusing their investigation” on the crew and passengers of Flight 370. Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said officers from the Royal Malaysia Police visited the home of the pilot, spoke to family members and began examining his flight simulator.
A high-ranking special branch officer in Malaysia’s elite investigative unit confirmed to USA TODAY that a laptop belonging to pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah was being picked apart for clues.
Zaharie has close ties with Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who has been fighting a charge of sodomy. Hours before boarding the flight, Zaharie turned up at the Court of Appeal in the country’s new administrative capital, Putrajaya, for a hearing at which Anwar was sentenced to five years in prison. The opposition is appealing Anwar’s prison sentence.
Speaking to USA TODAY, a close friend of Zaharie, Peter Chong, said Zaharie does support the opposition but that the reports that he may have had a role in diverting the plane were “not true.”
“He is a political activist, yes. And yes, he was in court for Anwar’s trial and he is our strong
Zaharie “was always caring. ... This investigation is utter rubbish. He would never, ever have hijacked the plane.”
Nirmala Nadarajah, a former Malaysia Airlines flight attendant
supporter, but that does not make him a terrorist,” Chong said.
The scrutiny follows revelations Saturday that someone aboard the jet made a series of highly technical actions to deliberately hide the plane from modern detection systems. Prime Minister Najib Razak said the path of the flight, missing since March 8, was altered shortly after takeoff. The last known signal from the airliner came more than seven hours after takeoff.
The final words from the cockpit to air-traffic controllers — “All right, good night” — apparently were spoken after the plane was diverted, Razak said.
Nirmala Nadarajah, a former Malaysia Airlines flight attendant, told USA TODAY that Zaharie is a “good, kind man.”
“He loved flying. That is his biggest passion. And he was always caring. He was always concerned about being alert and fit because he considered the safety of his passengers seriously,” she said. “This investigation is utter rubbish. He would never, ever have hijacked the plane.”
The pilot isn’t the only person aboard the plane facing scrutiny. Hishammuddin, also the acting transportation minister, said officers visited the co-pilot’s home and were investigating the engineers who worked on the plane.
Police Chief Inspector General Khalid Abu Bakar said he had requested countries with citizens on board the plane to investigate their background. He said some had already done this and found nothing suspicious, but he was waiting for others to respond.
Meanwhile, Malaysian authorities said Sunday that the number of countries involved in the search for the jetliner has increased from 14 to 25, as the inquiry shifted its focus toward the actions of the flight crew.
Hishammuddin said 11 more countries joined the search after it was determined that Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 may have gone as far north as Central Asia, flying over several countries.
“This is a significant recalibration of the search,” he said.