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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Dutch Investigators: MH17 Missile ‘Came from Russia’ |
| 2016-09-30 |
| [Asharq al-Aswat] A Malaysian airliner shot down in eastern Ukraine was hit by a Buk missile moved into eastern Ukraine from Russia, Dutch-led criminal Sherlocks said. The findings challenge Moscow’s suggestion that Malaysia Airlines flight 17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in July 2014, was brought down by the Ukrainian military. All 298 people on board, most of them Dutch citizens, were killed. Wilbert Paulissen, head of the Central Crime Investigation department of the Dutch National Police, said Wednesday that communications intercepts showed pro-Moscow rebels had called for deployment of the mobile surface-to-air weapon, and reported its arrival in rebel-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine. From that and other evidence collected by the Joint Investigation Team, Paulissen told a news conference: "It may be concluded MH17 was shot down by a 9M38 missile launched by a Buk, brought in from the territory of the Russian Federation, and that after launch was subsequently returned to the Russian Federation." "Our investigation has shown that the location from where the BUK was fired was in the hands of the Russian separatists," said Paulissen. The joint investigation "has identified approximately 100 people who can be linked to the downing of MH17 or the transport of the BUK-TELAR" missile system, Dutch prosecutors said. They were believed to have had an "active role" in the transporting of the missile system used to bring down the routine flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, chief investigator Fred Westerbeke said. But he stressed those under investigation were not official suspects yet. As expected the Sherlocks did not reveal any names, but it revealed the exact missile system used. |
| Posted by:Fred |