A possible link of al-Qaeda to the missing Malaysian airlines flight MH370 has gained notice, after a group of 11 suspected militants with links to al-Qaeda were held and quizzed over the jet's unusual disappearance on March 8.
(Latest Update: Projected Flight Path of MH370 Mistaken? Authorities Not Sure if Data Analysis was Correct )
The suspects, aged between 22 and 55, were arrested in the capital Kuala Lumpur and in the state of Kadah last week. They are thought to be the members of a new terror organization said to be planning bomb attacks in Muslim countries, the Daily Mail reported.
The interrogations come after international investigators, including FBI and MIG asked the militants to be questioned intensively about Flight MH370. The group of 11 includes students, "odd-job workers", a young widow and business professionals, the British tabloid reported.
Almost two months after the mysterious disappearance of the ill-fated aircraft that was bound for Beijing carrying 239 people onboard, a massive international search team has not been able to find a trace of the plane.
The interrogation to the suspected militants is one of the latest attempts to try to solve the mystery that has baffled the entire world.
An officer with the Counter Terrorism Division of Malaysian special branch was quoted as saying that the arrests had heightened suspicion that the flight's disappearance could be linked to an act of terrorism.
"The possibility that the plane was diverted by militants is still high on the list and international investigators have asked for a comprehensive report on this new terror group," the officer said.
In interrogations so far, some suspects have admitted planning "sustained terror campaigns," but have denied being involved in the disappearance of MH370, the official added.
The group of 11 suspects apprehended, are thought to have links to Malaysian terror outfits Jamaah Islamiyah and Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia as well as to foreign terror groups.
Suspicion of a possible terror hijack was heightened last month when a Russian newspaper claimed that the flight was hijacked by a terrorist named 'Hitch' and landed in Afghanistan where passengers were being held hostage.
Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu baker has, however, denied that the 11 suspects held are being interrogated about the missing plane.
(Ed:AJ)
