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Tuesday, 11 March 2014

DCA says duo did not look Asian, ropes in Balotelli - Malaysiakini

The ethnicity of the two who boarded Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 with missing passports is now in question, following the claim by Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that the duo had "Asian features".
At a press conference at KLIA today, Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) director-general Azharuddin Abdul Rahman confirmed that the two men "did not look Asian".
"Do you know a footballer (by the name of) Balotelli? He is an Italian, but you know how he looks like," Azharuddin said when pressed to described the appearance of the two men.
Mario Balotelli (left) is a professional Italian footballer who plays for AC Milan.
When pressed further whether two passengers were black, Azharuddin replied: "Yes".

'Stolen passports syndicate'

Asked if he meant that the duo were Africans or were of African origin, Azharuddin declined to elaborate.

He said the investigation team has reviewed the CCTV footage of the duo from check-in to departure.

"We hereby confirm that all security protocol have been complied with," he said.

Azharuddin said police were looking into the possibility that the two passengers were part of a stolen passport syndicate.

The two individuals boarded flight MH370, which lost contact over the Gulf of Thailand, using Italian and Austrian passports.

However, both the Italian and Austrian foreign ministries have denied their citizens were present on the ill-fated flight, adding that the passports used were reported stolen in the last two years.

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