Distraught relatives lash out at authorities
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA — The FBI joined forces with Malaysian authorities in analyzing deleted data on a flight simulator belonging to Capt. Zaharie Ahmad Shah, the pilot of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane. Files containing records of flight simulations were deleted Feb. 3 from the device found in Zaharie’s home, Malaysian police said. It was not clear whether investigators thought that deleting the files was unusual. The files might hold signs of unusual flight paths that could help explain where the missing plane went. A U.S. official said the FBI has been given electronic data to analyze. In other news Wednesday: Distraught relatives of the passengers unleashed their anger Wednesday — wailing in frustration at 12 days of uncertainty. Two Chinese women shouted at Malaysian authorities and unfurled a banner accusing officials of “hiding the truth.” Police, who are considering the possibility of hijacking, sabotage, terrorism or issues related to the mental health of the pilots or anyone else on board, have asked for background checks from abroad on all foreign passengers. Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said such checks have been received for all the foreigners except those from Ukraine and Russia — which account for three passengers. “So far, no information of significance on any passengers has been found,” he said. A delegation of Malaysian government officials and air force and civil aviation representatives will head to Beijing, where many of the passengers’ relatives are gathered, to brief the next of kin on the status of the search.