Saturday 15 March 2014
Couple jailed over Rigby video
Royal Barnes, 23, and his wife Rebekah Dawson, 22, recorded and uploaded three videos shortly after the murder in Woolwich, south east London, last May.
Barnes was jailed for five years and four months at the Old Bailey after pleading guilty last month to three counts of disseminating a terrorist publication and one of inciting murder.
His wife, who insisted on wearing her veil in court, admitted charges of disseminating a terrorist publication and was sentenced to 20 months in prison.
Judge Brian Barker QC told them the videos they made were "offensive in the extreme".
He said the couple showed "a total and continuing disregard" for how their actions might affect the family of trooper Rigby, those people who witnessed the murder and the British public.
Barnes, 23, and Dawson 22, of Hackney, north east London, embraced in the dock and insisted they would not be separated by a security guard at the start of the hearing.
Before sentencing, the judge asked Dawson's lawyer to confirm the defendant was the woman in the dock in the full veil.
The court heard the first of the three videos was made on the day Fusilier Rigby was murdered, with Barnes hailing it as a "brilliant" day.
It was edited with graphic images of a man holding a decapitated head, a scene of the Woolwich murder and the Twin Towers, and sent on YouTube the following day.
The second video contained the same edited images and saw Dawson ranting about how British troops would be killed on the streets of London.
Then in a follow-up, Barnes mocked the outpouring of public grief, laughing uncontrollably as he drove past floral tributes with Dawson.
Prosecutor Kate Wilkinson said Dawson sent links of the videos to contacts and friends and received some negative comments back.
One friend said to her: "Can you please stop sending me these links. I'm not interested in it."
Another told Dawson: "Be careful with the YouTube stuff."
Dawson replied: "My husband took this one down. If they got that they would have arrested. Have you watched it - it was really inciting and almost glorifying. LOL."
Dawson called her husband "Babes" in messages between them discussing the videos. In one, she told Barnes: "Babes, someone has reported the laughing video. It has been removed."
Barnes, who knew one of the murderers, Michael Adebowale, also posted on Facebook the offer of a reward for avenging the rape of an Iraqi woman. None of his 500 friends replied.
The post on June 12 2013 stated: ''Any1 who kills an invading soldier in Muslim land I will give them a Vauxhall Astra 3door and money (French British American any kaffir soldier take ur pick).''
Michael Adebolajo, 29, was given a whole-life term and Adebowale, 22, was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 45 years at a hearing last month after being found guilty of Fusilier Rigby's murder.
The British Muslim converts ran the soldier down in a car before hacking him to death with a meat cleaver and knives in a frenzied attack. They dumped his body in the middle of the road near Woolwich Barracks.
Dawson has no previous convictions, apart from a charge of witness intimidation that she has admitted and is awaiting sentence for, the court was told.
But Barnes has a string of convictions for using threatening words or behaviour, and one for assault on a security guard at a mosque. He also has a five-year anti-social behaviour order (Asbo) for taking part in vigilante patrols of east London promoting Sharia law, the court was told.
Mitigating for Barnes, Naeem Mian told the court: "There are no ifs, no buts, no maybes, Mr Barnes makes it absolutely clear that these are idiotic acts borne out of breathtaking stupidity."
He said his client was vulnerable to coming under bad influences, having been taken into care at the age of eight and prevented from attending his mother's funeral after she died in custody.
Dawson's lawyer Susan Meek said her client, who had been studying at university, also came under the influence of others and her dreams of becoming a teacher were now in tatters.
She said: "Over the last nine months, her faith and dress has been put under national and international limelight and it has caused her to reflect deeply about her belief and the way she lives her life and her religion.
"There is an understanding from her all she wants now is to live a life quietly, legally, as a wife to her husband and have a family."
The judge, who is Recorder of London, sentenced Barnes to 26 months in jail for each of the three counts relating to the YouTube videos.
Mr Barker said the charge of inciting murder was more serious because it "encouraged others to carry on the war against the West" and kill soldiers.
For this, he handed Barnes five years and four months' imprisonment, all to run concurrently.
Dawson was sentenced to 20 months' imprisonment for each of the first three charges, to run concurrently.
Mr Barker told the couple: "Freedom of speech has long been jealously regarded by the law but with that freedom comes respect and responsibility."
Mari Reid, of the Crown Prosecution Service's Counter Terrorism Division, said afterwards: "While the whole country was unified in grief and horror in the wake of Fusilier Lee Rigby's death last year, Royal Barnes and his wife sought to take advantage of the situation to promote their extremist views.
"Royal Barnes went further, using the savage attack on Fusilier Rigby to encourage others, via Facebook, to murder British, French and American soldiers.
"These were not throwaway comments from a thoughtless individual, but the hardened beliefs of an extremist.
"We pride ourselves in Britain on allowing the right to free speech to flourish. But the vile views posted online by Royal Barnes and Rebekah Dawson justified and glorified terrorist attacks, and tried to foster hatred in our communities."
Temporary Commander Duncan Ball, head of the Counter Terrorism Command (SO15), said: "Disseminating violent extremist material and encouraging others to carry out acts of terrorism are serious offences and I hope today's sentences send out a clear message that we will arrest and prosecute those responsible."
Day 7: It's still 'all possibilities' for MH370
As the search and rescue mission for MH370
entered its seventh day, investigators are still looking into "all
possibilities" amid mounting frustration and threats of lawsuits from
the relatives of the passengers on board the China-bound flight.
However, Day 7 saw two fresh possibilities emerge.
The first from China, where experts suggested that the plane may have triggered a seismic event when it impacted the sea some 150km off the southern tip of Vietnam.
As for the second possibility, it lent further credence to the speculation of sabotage or hijacking.
Sources close to the investigation had told Reuters that military radar-tracking evidence suggested that the Boeing 777-200ER carrying 239 people was deliberately flown across the Malaysian peninsula towards the Andaman Islands.
US team checking satellite data
At
the press conference, questions were also raised regarding reports that
the aircraft had sent "pings" to communications satellites for hours
after it was last seen, possibly indicating that its on-board
troubleshooting systems are functional and ready to communicate.
However,
he also described the expansion of the search area into the Andaman Sea
as a "natural progression" since searching the existing search areas
did not yield any results, and the South China Sea search area have been
expanded too.
Meanwhile, Azharuddin also dismissed suggestions that other countries should lead the search operations.
He added that it is based on the protocols set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
"We
still categorise the incident as missing aircraft. It says in Annex 13
(of the protocol) that if the location of the missing aircraft cannot be
determined, the state of registration will have to carry out the
investigation to find the whereabouts of the aircraft.
"In this case, the state of registration (of the missing aircraft) is Malaysia, and we are following strictly to the protocols of ICAO," he added when asked if other nations should be allowed to take the lead.
However, Day 7 saw two fresh possibilities emerge.
The first from China, where experts suggested that the plane may have triggered a seismic event when it impacted the sea some 150km off the southern tip of Vietnam.As for the second possibility, it lent further credence to the speculation of sabotage or hijacking.
Sources close to the investigation had told Reuters that military radar-tracking evidence suggested that the Boeing 777-200ER carrying 239 people was deliberately flown across the Malaysian peninsula towards the Andaman Islands.
US team checking satellite data
When asked on the second possibility however, acting Transport Minister
Hishammuddin Hussein said he has no information on the seismic event
and could not confirm it.
On the first possibility, Hishammuddin maintained that radar
information is still being analysed and will not be released until an
unidentified aircraft tracked on military radar is confirmed to be
MH370.
At
the press conference, questions were also raised regarding reports that
the aircraft had sent "pings" to communications satellites for hours
after it was last seen, possibly indicating that its on-board
troubleshooting systems are functional and ready to communicate.
"What the US team are doing is that they are trying their best to get
whatever sources from their satellite system to come up with
possibilities of where the aircraft should be," Department of Civil
Aviation (DCA) director-general Azharuddin Abdul Rahman replied.
The US team is comprised of experts from the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and National Transport Safety Board (NTSB).
This could suggest that the US team were the sources of the Reuters report on the satellite "ping".
Natural progression
Azharuddin added that a team of experts from the UK Aircraft Accident Investigation Board and aircraft engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce have also arrived this evening to study the possibility of MH370 having made satellite communication.
Azharuddin added that a team of experts from the UK Aircraft Accident Investigation Board and aircraft engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce have also arrived this evening to study the possibility of MH370 having made satellite communication.
"We are now sharing information that we don’t normally share due to
national security (interests) with agencies that could assist us.
"The information we have in our hands is being shared with to these
experts and are now being digested. I hope within a couple of days that
they can come to some conclusive position on what you asked earlier,"
Hishammuddin explained.
However,
he also described the expansion of the search area into the Andaman Sea
as a "natural progression" since searching the existing search areas
did not yield any results, and the South China Sea search area have been
expanded too.
Previously, authorities and Rolls-Royce have dismissed similar claims published in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ)
that the missing jet had been flying for hours after it had gone
missing based on continued transmissions from Aircraft Communications
Addressing and Reporting System (Acars).
The report claimed that the last Acars transmission was when the aircraft had contact with air traffic controllers, but WSJ
has since amended their article to state that the transmission came
from its "satellite-communication link designed to automatically
transmit the status of on-board systems".
M'sia: We're still in charge
M'sia: We're still in charge
Meanwhile, Azharuddin also dismissed suggestions that other countries should lead the search operations.
He added that it is based on the protocols set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
"We
still categorise the incident as missing aircraft. It says in Annex 13
(of the protocol) that if the location of the missing aircraft cannot be
determined, the state of registration will have to carry out the
investigation to find the whereabouts of the aircraft."In this case, the state of registration (of the missing aircraft) is Malaysia, and we are following strictly to the protocols of ICAO," he added when asked if other nations should be allowed to take the lead.
The search now involves 57 ships and 48
aircraft from 13 countries, covering a vast expanse of ocean in the
Andaman Sea northwest of Peninsular Malaysia, and South China Sea to the
northeast of the peninsula.
MH370: Rolls Royce denies engine data report
While the search area is being extended, Malaysian authorities confirm that Rolls Royce has denied that there was data transmitted from the engine after it went off-radar
VIDEO INSIDE
SEPANG: Rolls Royce, the engine manufacturer of the ill-fated MH370, has denied reports that the jetliner was sending engine data for some five hours after it lost contact with the main control tower last Saturday morning.
In making this public, Defence-cum-Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said Malaysian authorities have checked with Rolls Royce, and the engine maker of the Boeing 777-200ER jet has categorically denied the reports which had quoted unnamed sources.
Over the last two days, unnamed US officials have repeatedly said that engine data from MH370 was beamed back to Rolls Royce after 1.30am on Saturday when the plane carrying 239 passengers and crew went missing on its flight from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Beijing, China.
While the plane was last spotted over the South China Sea, Malaysian military radar picked up a civilian aircraft and hour after its disappearance some 200km north of Penang, heading towards the Andaman Sea.
Some 57 ships and 48 aircraft from 13 nations are now looking for the jetliner not only at the South China Sea but also the Straits of Malacca, the Andaman Sea and the Indian Ocean.
The scope of the search was widened as Malaysian authorities did not want to leave any stones unturned in its search for MH370.
“Yesterday, we rejected a media report in which unnamed officials said that engine data showed the plane had kept flying for hours after last contact. We checked with Boeing and Rolls Royce, who said the reports were not true.
“Today Rolls Royce released a statement saying, and I quote: Rolls Royce continues to provide its full support to the authorities and Malaysia Airlines. Rolls Royce concurs with the statement made on Thursday, March 13, by Malaysia’s Transport Minister regarding engine health monitoring data received from the aircraft’.
“There has been a lot of media speculation today after comments from unnamed US officials suggested the plane may have travelled for some time after losing contact.
“As is standard procedure, the investigation team will not publicly release information until it has been properly verified and corroborated with the relevant authorities. Nor do we want to be drawn into specific remarks that unnamed officials have reportedly made to the media,” Hishammuddin said in his daily press conference at the Sama-Sama hotel here today.
He said the international search and rescue teams are currently working on verifying that detailed information, “but we have nothing to confirm at the moment”.
Search expanded
He said while the aircraft is still missing, the authorities are expanding the search area.
“Two days ago, the search area was widened to include the Andaman Sea. Together with our international partners, we are now pushing further east into the South China Sea, and further into the Indian Ocean.
“We want nothing more than to find the plane as quickly as possible. But the circumstances have forced us to widen our search. A normal investigation becomes narrower with time, as new information focuses the search. But this is not a normal investigation. In this case, the information we have forces us to look further and further afield,” said the minister.
He said the investigation team was following all leads that could help locate the missing aircraft and when new information is received, it must be verified.
“We have daily technical meetings with all the key players. We have followed the protocols set out by the International Civil Aviation Authority. We have been in regular contact with our neighbouring countries. And we have welcomed all international offers of assistance. We are committed to one aim: finding MH370,” he stressed.
On the plane’s turn back, he said though the military radar spotted a civilian aircraft an hour after it lost communication with the air traffic control, it has yet to be confirmed that the spotted aircraft was indeed MH370.
“This is why we expanded the search. We are also getting satellite material from others. We are still investigating. A team from Boeing and Rolls Royce are also studying the satellite information. So far we can’t reveal anything until we confirm,” he added.
Asked on who should spearhead the whole operation, Hishammuddin said Malaysia as the state of register of the aircraft is required to undertake the task.
Under the International Civil Aviation Organisation protocol, the state of register of the aircraft must undertake the task of locating the missing plane.
The minister also did not rule out hijacking as “all possibilities are being looked at.”
“The focus now is finding the aircraft. We also did not receive any satellite data from the plane and we are trying to get whatever satellite data provided by the US.
“We normally do not share satellite information but in this case we have made it an exception and hope we can come to a conclusion on the location of the aircraft,” he added.
The minister also reiterated that investigators are unsure if the plane’s transponders were turned off intentionally, turned off under duress or failed as result of an explosion.
VIDEO INSIDE
SEPANG: Rolls Royce, the engine manufacturer of the ill-fated MH370, has denied reports that the jetliner was sending engine data for some five hours after it lost contact with the main control tower last Saturday morning.In making this public, Defence-cum-Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said Malaysian authorities have checked with Rolls Royce, and the engine maker of the Boeing 777-200ER jet has categorically denied the reports which had quoted unnamed sources.
Over the last two days, unnamed US officials have repeatedly said that engine data from MH370 was beamed back to Rolls Royce after 1.30am on Saturday when the plane carrying 239 passengers and crew went missing on its flight from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Beijing, China.
While the plane was last spotted over the South China Sea, Malaysian military radar picked up a civilian aircraft and hour after its disappearance some 200km north of Penang, heading towards the Andaman Sea.
Some 57 ships and 48 aircraft from 13 nations are now looking for the jetliner not only at the South China Sea but also the Straits of Malacca, the Andaman Sea and the Indian Ocean.
The scope of the search was widened as Malaysian authorities did not want to leave any stones unturned in its search for MH370.
“Yesterday, we rejected a media report in which unnamed officials said that engine data showed the plane had kept flying for hours after last contact. We checked with Boeing and Rolls Royce, who said the reports were not true.
“Today Rolls Royce released a statement saying, and I quote: Rolls Royce continues to provide its full support to the authorities and Malaysia Airlines. Rolls Royce concurs with the statement made on Thursday, March 13, by Malaysia’s Transport Minister regarding engine health monitoring data received from the aircraft’.
“There has been a lot of media speculation today after comments from unnamed US officials suggested the plane may have travelled for some time after losing contact.
“As is standard procedure, the investigation team will not publicly release information until it has been properly verified and corroborated with the relevant authorities. Nor do we want to be drawn into specific remarks that unnamed officials have reportedly made to the media,” Hishammuddin said in his daily press conference at the Sama-Sama hotel here today.
He said the international search and rescue teams are currently working on verifying that detailed information, “but we have nothing to confirm at the moment”.
Search expanded
He said while the aircraft is still missing, the authorities are expanding the search area.
“Two days ago, the search area was widened to include the Andaman Sea. Together with our international partners, we are now pushing further east into the South China Sea, and further into the Indian Ocean.
“We want nothing more than to find the plane as quickly as possible. But the circumstances have forced us to widen our search. A normal investigation becomes narrower with time, as new information focuses the search. But this is not a normal investigation. In this case, the information we have forces us to look further and further afield,” said the minister.
He said the investigation team was following all leads that could help locate the missing aircraft and when new information is received, it must be verified.
“We have daily technical meetings with all the key players. We have followed the protocols set out by the International Civil Aviation Authority. We have been in regular contact with our neighbouring countries. And we have welcomed all international offers of assistance. We are committed to one aim: finding MH370,” he stressed.
On the plane’s turn back, he said though the military radar spotted a civilian aircraft an hour after it lost communication with the air traffic control, it has yet to be confirmed that the spotted aircraft was indeed MH370.
“This is why we expanded the search. We are also getting satellite material from others. We are still investigating. A team from Boeing and Rolls Royce are also studying the satellite information. So far we can’t reveal anything until we confirm,” he added.
Asked on who should spearhead the whole operation, Hishammuddin said Malaysia as the state of register of the aircraft is required to undertake the task.
Under the International Civil Aviation Organisation protocol, the state of register of the aircraft must undertake the task of locating the missing plane.
The minister also did not rule out hijacking as “all possibilities are being looked at.”
“The focus now is finding the aircraft. We also did not receive any satellite data from the plane and we are trying to get whatever satellite data provided by the US.
“We normally do not share satellite information but in this case we have made it an exception and hope we can come to a conclusion on the location of the aircraft,” he added.
The minister also reiterated that investigators are unsure if the plane’s transponders were turned off intentionally, turned off under duress or failed as result of an explosion.
Hisham keeps mum on Andaman possibility
The Acting Transport Minister however says investigators will look into all aspects, including the possibility of a hijacking
VIDEO INSIDE
SEPANG: Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein today refused to confirm or deny new reports that the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 may have been deliberately flown across to the Andaman Islands after losing contact.
Speaking in his daily media briefing in Sepang, Hishammuddin said the investigation team will not publicly release information until it has been properly verified and corroborated with the relevant authorities.
“Nor do we want to be drawn into specific remarks that unnamed officials have reportedly made to the media,” said Hishammuddin, who is also the Defence Minister.
He also said that the local authorities were working closely with all international partners, including the US team, whose officials have been here on the ground in Kuala Lumpur.
“Since Wednesday, the Malaysian investigation team have shared more detailed information, as it became available, for verification.
“The international team are currently working on verifying that detailed information, but we have nothing to confirm at the moment,” he said.
Earlier today Reuters quoted sources familiar with the investigation as saying that military radar-tracking evidence had suggested the jetliner was deliberately flown across the Malay peninsula towards the Andaman Islands.
Two sources said an unidentified aircraft that investigators believe was Flight MH370 was following a route between navigational waypoints, indicating it was being flown by someone with aviation training, when it was last plotted on military radar off the country’s northwest coast.
Search expanded
The last plot on the military radar’s tracking suggested the plane was flying toward India’s Andaman Islands, a chain of isles between the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, they said.
Waypoints are geographic locations worked out by calculating longitude and latitude that help pilots navigate along established air corridors.
A third source said inquiries were focusing increasingly on the theory that someone who knew how to fly a plane deliberately diverted the flight hundreds of miles off its intended course from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
“What we can say is we are looking at sabotage, with hijack still on the cards,” said that source, a senior Malaysian police official.
All three sources declined to be identified because they were not authorised to speak to the media and due to the sensitivity of the investigation.
When pressed to comment on these media reports, Hishammuddin also said he was not ruling out the possibility of the jetliner being hijacked.
The flight with 239 passengers and crew went missing an hour after taking off from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Beijing. Its last contact with Malaysian air traffic control was at 1.07am when it was flying over the South China Sea.
Today is the seventh day of the search for MH370 involving 57 ships and 48 aircraft from 13 countries.
The government has now expanded the search area to cover further east into the South China Sea, and further into the Indian Ocean.
VIDEO INSIDE
SEPANG: Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein today refused to confirm or deny new reports that the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 may have been deliberately flown across to the Andaman Islands after losing contact.Speaking in his daily media briefing in Sepang, Hishammuddin said the investigation team will not publicly release information until it has been properly verified and corroborated with the relevant authorities.
“Nor do we want to be drawn into specific remarks that unnamed officials have reportedly made to the media,” said Hishammuddin, who is also the Defence Minister.
He also said that the local authorities were working closely with all international partners, including the US team, whose officials have been here on the ground in Kuala Lumpur.
“Since Wednesday, the Malaysian investigation team have shared more detailed information, as it became available, for verification.
“The international team are currently working on verifying that detailed information, but we have nothing to confirm at the moment,” he said.
Earlier today Reuters quoted sources familiar with the investigation as saying that military radar-tracking evidence had suggested the jetliner was deliberately flown across the Malay peninsula towards the Andaman Islands.
Two sources said an unidentified aircraft that investigators believe was Flight MH370 was following a route between navigational waypoints, indicating it was being flown by someone with aviation training, when it was last plotted on military radar off the country’s northwest coast.
Search expanded
The last plot on the military radar’s tracking suggested the plane was flying toward India’s Andaman Islands, a chain of isles between the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, they said.
Waypoints are geographic locations worked out by calculating longitude and latitude that help pilots navigate along established air corridors.
A third source said inquiries were focusing increasingly on the theory that someone who knew how to fly a plane deliberately diverted the flight hundreds of miles off its intended course from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
“What we can say is we are looking at sabotage, with hijack still on the cards,” said that source, a senior Malaysian police official.
All three sources declined to be identified because they were not authorised to speak to the media and due to the sensitivity of the investigation.
When pressed to comment on these media reports, Hishammuddin also said he was not ruling out the possibility of the jetliner being hijacked.
The flight with 239 passengers and crew went missing an hour after taking off from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Beijing. Its last contact with Malaysian air traffic control was at 1.07am when it was flying over the South China Sea.
Today is the seventh day of the search for MH370 involving 57 ships and 48 aircraft from 13 countries.
The government has now expanded the search area to cover further east into the South China Sea, and further into the Indian Ocean.
Anwar: Who gave ‘bomoh 1Malaysia’ approval?
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim today demanded that the government
disclose who gave permission for a bomoh to conduct rituals inside KLIA
to locate the missing Malaysia Airlines jet.“This is KLIA. Who gave permission? Is it MAS, is it Department of Civil Aviation?” Anwar asked in the Dewan Rakyat today while debating the royal address.
He said the presence of the bomoh had made Malaysia a laughing stock of the international community.
“Even Barack Obama (US president) must have been amazed with our stupidity,” he said.
Anwar went on to call the bomoh “Bomoh 1Malaysia”, referring to the 1Malaysia pin the bomoh was wearing.
“He even had a 1Malaysia tag on him. This is bomoh 1Malaysia,” he said, to the laughter of the House.
In a press conference at the Parliament lobby later on, Anwar said that the use of the bomoh was an affront to Islam, and urged Islamic authorities to investigate the matter swiftly.
“Where are those NGOs who made noise about the ‘Allah’ issue? Why are they silent now?” Anwar asked.
Anwar did not mince his words in claiming that Malaysia has never embarrassed itself to this extent in the international stage in its history.
“Our biggest problem is in handling a crisis. There should be a central command,” he said.
However, Anwar was clear that current Acting Transport Minister Hishamuddin Hussein should not be the central spokesperson on the matter.
“He issued a statement, and hours later, DCA gave a different version,” he said.
The bomoh is called Ibrahim Mat Zin, and also calls his own organisation as 1Malaysia Corporate Bomoh.
Meanwhile, a group of Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) officers arrived at the airport at 10.30am to monitor the area, according to The Star Online today.
“This is to avoid people from becoming syirik (deviant)…
“(Anyone doing) anything that is against syariah principles and fatwa will be asked to disperse and if they refuse, we will arrest them under Section 7 of the Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment (Selangor) 1995 for false doctrine,” Jais Sepang district enforcement chief Zaifullah Jaafar Shidek is quoted as saying.
Aviation experts question shift in search for MH370
Aviation experts today queried the plausibility of such a scenario, but confirmation from US and Malaysian officials that the search was being widened into the vast Indian Ocean suggested it had credible underpinnings.
If there was a debate over what might have happened to Flight MH370, there was a general consensus as to the extraordinary nature of its disappearance without trace a week ago over the South China Sea.
“I would probably go ahead and say this is unprecedented,” said Anthony Brickhouse, a member of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators.
“In most investigations each day you move forward, you uncover more things, more clues,” Brickhouse told AFP.
“But in this one it seems that each day that goes by something that you thought was a lead turns out not to be a lead and you’re back to square one again.”
The expansion of the search area came as multiple US media reports, citing American officials, said the plane’s communication system continued to “ping” a satellite for up to four hours after it disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
The reports amplified on Malaysia’s belief, based on a radar sighting, that the plane may have mysteriously turned back towards Kuala Lumpur just over an hour into its flight when no technical problem was apparent, on a calm night in fine weather.
Somebody would have acted?
But Neil Hansford, chairman of leading Australian airline consultancy Strategic Aviation Solutions, balked at the idea of the plane flying on for undetected more than four hours through various national airspaces.
“An aircraft, without any transponders on, going over the top of anybody’s airspace would have become a military incident and somebody would have done something,” Hansford said.
Southeast Asia, and particularly the South China Sea, is a hotbed of bitter territorial disputes that are the subject of round-the-clock surveillance by the competing parties.
Flying from the point where radar contact was lost to the Indian Ocean would have taken the plane through airspace monitored by Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indonesian and Indian military radar.
“How did it get past all of that?” said Gerry Soejatman, an independent aviation analyst based in Jakarta.
One possibility is that the radar systems did pick something up, but it was unclear, and there was a reluctance to flag up data that would also reveal details about military radar capabilities.
“Defence is not only about having the capability but also not disclosing what capabilities you don’t have,” said David Kaminski-Morrow, the London-based air transport editor for Flight International.
“I am sure there is a lot of discussion in the back rooms on what information you want to put out there to help search for the aircraft, and what you don’t want out in the public domain,” he said.
Neither the US Navy nor White House has detailed the source of the intelligence that led to the redeployment of the destroyer USS Kidd towards the Indian Ocean.
But Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told reporters that his government was “sharing information we don’t normally share for security reasons.”
Competing scenarios
The confounding mystery has fuelled a host of contending scenarios, including a mid-air explosion, terrorist act, catastrophic technical failure, pilot suicide or rogue missile strike.
The idea that it flew for hours, and thousands of miles, over the Indian Ocean would appear to lend credence to the notion of some sort of cockpit takeover.
The theory has gathered further weight from other unconfirmed reports that the plane’s two main automated communication systems shut down 14 minutes apart — suggesting this was done manually rather than caused by an explosion or other sudden catastrophic event.
But Soejatman said the time lag could have been the result of a fire.
“We have seen cases where there have been cockpit fires, and then the systems go down one by one,” he said. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be deliberate.”
Several analysts noted that speculation was being fuelled by the public’s widespread disbelief that a modern passenger plane carrying 239 people could just vanish — in an age of instant communication where smartphones have brought advanced technology into everyone’s pockets.
Although it has been almost a week, Paul Yap, an aviation lecturer at Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore, argued that the search was “still in its very early days” and that expectations had to be re-calibrated.
“The unusual problem and maybe the most important one in this case is that there is nothing that can tell them exactly how to deploy their resources,” he said.
“I know that is frustrating to hear ... especially for the families, but right now that is the reality.” — AFP
Press Release | The Malaysian Bar Commends Swift Action by the Government in Stay of Execution of Death Sentence on Osariakhi Ernest Obayangbon
The
Malaysian Bar is heartened by, and welcomes, the stay of execution of
the death penalty on Osariakhi Ernest Obayangbon (aka Philip Michael),
originally scheduled for 6:00 am today.
The
Malaysian Bar commends the swift action of the Government, and in
particular the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, YB Puan
Hajah Nancy Shukri, and the Honourable Attorney General, Tan Sri Abdul
Gani Patail, in obtaining a stay of the execution.
The
execution of a criminal, albeit for a heinous crime, is not so much
about his crime, but is about, and reflective of, our own humanity.
Osariakhi
Ernest Obayangbon is reported to have been convicted on a charge of
murder, and has been on death row for 18 years. He is said to be
suffering from mental illness, namely schizophrenia. He apparently did
not apply for clemency, possibly because he was unable to make proper
decisions as a result of his mental illness.
Although
it is reported that his mental illness developed after the commission
of the crime, it is nevertheless unnecessary and unmerciful to kill a
mentally ill person who has already been in jail for 18 years. We ask
that his death sentence be commuted to one of life imprisonment.
The
Malaysian Bar advocates the abolition of the death penalty, in the
belief that every individual has an inherent right to life. This right
is absolute, universal and inalienable, irrespective of any crimes that
may have been committed. The death penalty has no place in a society
that values human life, justice and mercy.
We
understand that the Government is currently looking into law reforms in
respect of the mandatory death penalty, with a view to its possible
abolition or the reintroduction of a discretionary death penalty. In
light of such review, the Government should, in the interest of justice,
implement and announce an immediate official moratorium on any and all
executions of the death sentence.
The
Malaysian Bar reiterates its call on the Malaysian Government to
abolish the death penalty without delay. Those who have been sentenced
with the death penalty should all be resentenced.
Christopher Leong
President
Malaysian Bar
Statement By Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Today Over Missing MAS Plane
KUALA
LUMPUR, March 14 (Bernama) -- Following is the statement by Defence
Minister and acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun
Hussein at a press briefing on the search for the missing Malaysia
Airlines (MAS) Flight MH370, in Sepang, Selangor, Friday:"We are now entering the seventh day of the search for MH370. There are currently 57 ships and 48 aircraft in the search. Thirteen countries are now involved.
"Our priority remains finding the plane. We are following all leads, and we continue to work closely with our international partners.
"We are grateful for the support of our friends and neighbours, who continue to assist us by sharing their data and their resources as we search for MH370.
"I speak for the Malaysian people when I say that our hearts are with the families and the friends of those on board the plane.
New Information
"There has been a lot of media speculation today after comments from unnamed US officials suggested the plane may have travelled for some time after losing contact.
"As is standard procedure, the investigation team will not publicly release information until it has been properly verified and corroborated with the relevant authorities. Nor do we want to be drawn into specific remarks that unnamed officials have reportedly made the media.
"Since Sunday, we have worked closely with our international partners, including the US team, whose officials have been here on the ground in Kuala Lumpur.
"Since Wednesday, the Malaysian investigating team has shared more detailed information, as it became available, for verification.
The international team are currently working on verifying that detailed information, but we have nothing to confirm at the moment.
Widening of the Investigation
"The aircraft is still missing, and the search area is expanding. Two days ago, the search area was widened to include the Andaman Sea.
"Together with our international partners, we are now pushing further east into the South China Sea, and further into the Indian Ocean.
"We want nothing more than to find the plane as quickly as possible. But the circumstances have forced us to widen our search.
"A normal investigation becomes narrower with time, as new information focuses the search. But this is not a normal investigation. In this case, the information we have forces us to look further and further afield.
Engine Data
"Yesterday, we rejected a media report in which unnamed officials said that engine data showed the plane had kept flying for hours after last contact. We checked with Boeing and Rolls Royce, who said the reports were not true.
"Today, Rolls Royce released a statement saying, and I quote, �Rolls Royce continues to provide its full support to the authorities and Malaysia Airlines.
Rolls Royce concurs with the statement made on Thursday 13th March by Malaysia s Transport Minister regarding engine health monitoring data received from the aircraft .
Oil Slicks
"Yesterday, authorities sighted two oil slicks in the South China Sea, 60 nautical miles south of the last point of contact with MH370.
"The first slick was investigated and analysed and found to contain tiny traces of jet fuel. No debris was found in the vicinity. We do not believe the slick is linked to MH370.
"Samples from the second slick were investigated and analysed and did not contain jet fuel.
Concluding Remarks
"The investigation team is following all leads that could help locate the missing aircraft. When we receive new information, and it has been verified, we act accordingly. Wherever there is a possibility, we have a duty to investigate it.
"From the beginning of the crisis, we have worked hand-in-hand with all the relevant authorities, including international agencies, experts, and the aircraft manufacturers.
"We have daily technical meetings with all the key players. We have followed the protocols set out by the International Civil Aviation Authority. We have been in regular contact with our neighbouring countries. And we have welcomed all international offers of assistance. We are committed to one aim: finding MH370."
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