Mystery fake-passport holders on flight MH370 were Iranian
A BBC Persian report says that the two Iranians on the Malaysia Airlines plane had bought the fake passports in order to migrate to Germany and Denmark
The search and rescue mission continues on day 3 for the missing Malaysiasn Airlines plane MH370. Photo: HALIM BERBAR/SIPA/REX
The two men travelling on stolen passports on the Malaysia Airlines flight
MH370 that mysteriously disappeared on Saturday have been identified as
Iranian nationals.
A BBC Persian report
quotes an Iranian friend of one of the men, who said he hosted the pair in
Kuala Lumpur after they arrived from Tehran in the days preceding their
flight to Beijing.
The friend, who knew one of the men from his school days in Iran, said the men
had bought the fake passports because they wanted to migrate to Europe.
The pair were travelling on passports belonging to Christian Kozel, an
30-year-old Austrian, and Luigi Maraldi, a 37-year-old Italian.
They had bought the passports in Kuala Lumpur as well as tickets to Amsterdam,
via Beijing.
One of the Iranian nationals' intended final destination was Frankfurt, where
his mother lives, while the other wanted to travel to Denmark.
The same source that spoke to BBC Persian also emailed CNN with a photograph of him posing with his two friends in the days before they embarked on their fateful trip.
An editor at BBC Persian told The Telegraph that the two Iranians were “looking for a place to settle”.
Both Malaysia and neighbouring Thailand, where the passports were originally stolen, host large and established Iranian communities.
US-led sanctions on Iran have plagued the economy and encouraged many young Iranians, who face high unemployment, to seek ways to travel to Europe, North America or Australia – legally or illegally.
The same source that spoke to BBC Persian also emailed CNN with a photograph of him posing with his two friends in the days before they embarked on their fateful trip.
An editor at BBC Persian told The Telegraph that the two Iranians were “looking for a place to settle”.
Both Malaysia and neighbouring Thailand, where the passports were originally stolen, host large and established Iranian communities.
US-led sanctions on Iran have plagued the economy and encouraged many young Iranians, who face high unemployment, to seek ways to travel to Europe, North America or Australia – legally or illegally.
Mystery fake-passport holders on flight MH370 were Iranian
No comments:
Post a Comment