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Flight MH370: Mystery woman's call to pilot


PLUS: French satellite provides new satellite image of possible debris.

NBR Staff
Mon, 24 Mar 2014

The focus of investigation into Flight MH370 has swung back to pilot Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah (53) - thanks to the revelation he received a phone call from a mystery woman just three hours before the flight.

Malaysian law requires all SIM card buyers to supply an identity card or passport - a security measure introduced after 9/11. 

However, the woman who bought the SIM card used to call Mr Zaharie used a fake ID when she purchased it from a shop in Kuala Lumpur recently, according to a report in UK paper The Mail on Sunday.

It is possible the call is somehow linked to what went wrong on Flight MH370, or a possible terrorist link. But the Mail has also noted that Mr Zaharie had separated from his wife; it's also possible the woman was trying to cover the tracks of an affair.

Malaysian police searched Mr Zaharie's home on March 16 and removed a flight simulator. No evidence has been released linking him (First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid) to any wrongdoing.

Today, France has become the latest country to provide satellite images of possible debris. The image is said to show a possible wooden pallet and strapping belts, which could have been used for MH370 cargo. However, bad weather has so far hampered attempts to locate the apparent debris and make a visual confirmation.

Over the weekend, the Chinese supplied a satellite image of a possible 24m long piece of debris, but an RNZAF Orion found only seaweed on the scene.

It was images supplied by US commercial satellite operator Digital Globe that first switched the focus of the search to a swathe of ocean 2500km southwest of Perth. However, planes and aircraft have yet to spot the 24m and 5m objects shot by Digital Globe.

Flight MH370 has now been missing for 16 days.

NBR Staff
Mon, 24 Mar 2014
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Flight MH370: Mystery woman's call to pilot
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