As the missing Malaysian Airline Flight 370 rang its fifth day today, authorities are still stumped about the whereabouts of the airplane, which disappeared on March 8.
US Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan told an audience that it has yet to reject the notion that terrorism could be involved in the plane's disappearance. The CIA's comments followed the announcement of Malaysia and Interpol that two of the passengers of the missing plane, who were verified as Iranian nationals, boarded the aircraft using stolen passports but have no link to any terrorist group.
"Our Malaysian counterparts are doing everything they can to try to put together the pieces here. But clearly, there's still a mystery which is very disturbing," Brennan said.
In Kuala Lumpur, Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said that authorities are combing through te passenger manifest and the airplane crew's background for troubling signs like personal or psychological issues. He added that photos and video footage of cargo and bags are under review by authorities piece by piece.
Bloomberg said Malaysia has decided to broadened the search for the missing plane as initial efforts locating the aircraft were of no success. The Associated Press noted that the military radar of the company showed that the Boeing Co. 777-200 aircraft has reached the Malacca Strait, which was at odds with official announcements that the Beijing-bound plane was nearing the airspace in Vietnam before controllers lost all contact.
The news agency said that this would not be the first time that an aircraft wreckage has not been located for days. Seven years ago, PT Adam Skyconnection Airlines Flight 574 lost contact with controllers on New Year's day in 2007. Bloomberg said airplane wreckage was found 10 days later, with flight data retrieved a few months later in August by US-based marine salvage company Phoenix International Inc.
