Interpol says the men who used stolen passports to board the missing Malaysia Airlines jet were Iranian men who probably weren't terrorists.
They've been identified as 19-year-old Pouria Nour Mohammad Mehrdad and 29-year-old Delavar Syed Mohammad Reza. (Via Twitter / @Interpol)
According to Malaysian officials, Mehrdad was seeking asylum in Germany. (Via Sky News)
Over the weekend, officials discovered two names on the flight's manifesto belonged to men who had never boarded the flight. The two men — both Europeans — said they’d had their passports stolen in Thailand. (Via Malaysia Airlines)
And while that prompted concerns of foul play, officials are now saying they have no reason to believe the Iranian passengers had any terrorism links.
According to USA Today, officials have narrowed their investigation to four areas: “hijacking, sabotage, personal problems among crew and passengers or psychological problems among crew or passengers."
The Beijing-bound plane vanished shortly after it took off from Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. Authorities now say it appears the Boeing 777 may have turned back before disappearing from radar.
The 10-nation hunt — now in its fourth day — has failed to turn up any trace of the plane. The search has expanded to areas the plane could have reached with its remaining fuel — including land on the Malaysian peninsula. (Via ITN)
The U.S. Navy has dispatched a second ship to help in the search. It joins about 40 other ships and 34 aircrafts already scouring the South China Sea.
