Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 Investigators Find Possible Missile Parts

Parts of a possible surface-to-air missile discovered in the area where Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 went down last year in eastern Ukraine are currently being examined by authorities. A Dutch-led prosecution team said the parts may have come from the Buk surface-to-air missile system, which may have been used in shooting down the aircraft. The Buk missile system is manufactured in Russia.

However, prosecutors have indicated that it is not possible to conclude that the parts are connected to the crash of the Malaysia Airlines plane for the moment.

The Joint Investigation Team said the discovered parts are being used in the criminal investigation and may provide additional information on who were involved in the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17. The Joint Investigation team is the international group tasked in conducting the criminal investigation.

Missile Parts Found At Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 Crash Site - image credit: theguardian.com

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was on its way to Malaysia from Amsterdam when it was downed on July 17, 2014 as it flew over Ukrainian territory under the control of pro-Russian separatists. Relations between the West and Moscow turned sour due to disputes on who was responsible for the crash.

Pro-Russian separatist were accused of shooting the plane down by the Ukrainian government and a number of Western countries. However, Russia and rebel leaders disputed the allegations and indicated that the plane was shot down by a Ukrainian fighter jet or surface-to-air missile.

Prior to the disaster, Russia was already accused by Western countries of providing supplies to the separatists. Sanctions were imposed on Russia by the United States and the EU due to the incident and its annexation of Crimea.

Fred Westerbeke, the lead prosecutor of the JIT, said a Buk missile may have shot down the plane basing on evidence gathered by the team. However, Westerbeke did not give additional details about the evidence or who fired the missile. A separate investigation conducted by the Dutch transportation safety board showed that Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down by pro-Russian separatists using a Buk missile. A report is expected to be produced by a criminal probe within the year while the report of the safety board is expected to be released by October.

Posted by James Fried on Saturday August 15 2015, 12:53 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0