MH17
might have been shot down from air – chief Dutch investigator
27
October, 2014
The
chief Dutch prosecutor investigating the MH17 downing in eastern
Ukraine does not exclude the possibility that the aircraft might have
been shot down from air, Der Spiegel reported. Intelligence to
support this was presented by Moscow in July.
The
chief investigator with the Dutch National Prosecutors' Office Fred
Westerbeke said in an interview with
the German magazine Der Spiegel published on Monday that his team is
open to the theory that another plane shot down the Malaysian
airliner.
Following
the downing of the Malaysian Airlines MH17 flight in July that killed
almost 300 people, Russia’s Defense Ministry released military
monitoring data, which showed a Kiev military jet tracking the MH17
plane shortly before the crash. No explanation was given by Kiev as
to why the military plane was flying so close to a passenger
aircraft. Neither Ukraine, nor Western states have officially
accepted such a possibility.
Westerbeke
said that the Dutch investigators are preparing an official request
for Moscow’s assistance since Russia is not part of the
international investigation team. Westerbeke added that the
investigators will specifically ask for the radar data suggesting
that a Kiev military jet was flying near the passenger plane right
before the catastrophe."Going
by the intelligence available, it is my opinion that a shooting down
by a surface to air missile remains the most likely scenario. But we
are not closing our eyes to the possibility that things might have
happened differently,” he
elaborated.
A picture taken on October 15, 2014
shows the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 near the village
of Rassipnoe. The flight MH17 was shoot down on July 17, 2014 with
298 people on board. (AFP Photo)
Meanwhile,
a report issued by the Dutch Safety Board on air crashes, listed
several passenger jets in flight MH17's vicinity, but no military
aircraft nearby.
In regard to this report Westerbeke said that the statement was based on information that was available at the time suggesting Russia could have more information on the issue.
In regard to this report Westerbeke said that the statement was based on information that was available at the time suggesting Russia could have more information on the issue.
Though
the West has accused Eastern Ukrainian militia forces of shooting
down the plane, it has provided only circumstantial evidence in
support of such claims. Moscow has urged the US to release satellite
images that prove its claims.“This
may be a coincidence, but the US satellite flew over Ukraine at
exactly the same time when the Malaysian airliner crashed,”
a Russian Defense ministry spokesman said in a July statement.
In his interview to the German media, Westerbeke also called on the US to release proof that supports its claims.“We remain in contact with the United States in order to receive satellite photos,” he said.
German’s
foreign intelligence agency reportedly also believes that local
militia shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, according to Der
Spiegel. The media report claimed the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND)
president Gerhard Schindler provided “ample
evidence to back up his case, including satellite images and diverse
photo evidence,”
to the Bundestag in early October.
However, the Dutch prosecutor stated that he is “not aware of the specific images in question”.
“The problem is that there are many different satellite images. Some can be found on the Internet, whereas others originate from foreign intelligence services.”
However, the Dutch prosecutor stated that he is “not aware of the specific images in question”.
“The problem is that there are many different satellite images. Some can be found on the Internet, whereas others originate from foreign intelligence services.”
The
Kiev government and Eastern Ukraine rebels have accused each other of
shooting down the plane. Kiev released what it calls an intercepted
conversation between rebel fighters in which they admit to downing a
plane.
The Dutch prosecutor stated that “we will need evidence and more than a recorded phone call from the Internet or photos from the crash site. That's why we are considering several scenarios and not just one.”
The Dutch investigators have come under criticism especially from the relatives of the victims, who blame the probe for slow progress.
Westerbeke elaborated that it will take a long time to establish what really happened adding “we certainly need the whole of next year for work”.
“It’s not easy, but we can do it."
Westerbeke concluded that in the Netherlands 10 prosecutors are investigating the incident, as well as forensic experts and 80 policemen. While the Dutch also regularly hold meetings with colleagues from Malaysia, Australia and Ukraine
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