MH370: "Captain Zaharie didn't do it," friends insist

They were responding to a USA Today report, quoting an unnamed investigator, which said that the experienced 53-year-old Malaysia Airlines (MAS) pilot was believed to be responsible for diverting the Boeing 777-200ER hundreds of kilometers off-course.

“It is not just me. I have spoken to his friends. None of us believe that the Captain could be involved,” said Peter Chong, who has known Zaharie for two years.

“It just doesn’t fit profile. He was a trainer for MAS, he had things going for him, he had two homes, one grandchild,” he added.

Chong said that he was puzzled as to how USA Today daily was led to believe into such a conclusion, reiterating that it is mere speculation.

“We will not give it any thought unless the information comes out from the official investigation body. Nobody should be put on trial by the media, (it is) not just to sell newspapers,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Mohd Ghouse Mohd Noor also defended his former schoolmate.

“No. Not in any way, not even a second do I believe it. He has a life and loved his children. He was well liked by people around him. Not one friend had said anything bad about him,” Mohd Ghouse said.

Mohd Ghouse described the report as a “blasphemous accusation” by USA Today made to tarnish Zaharie's name and Malaysia in general.

The man who set up a Facebook page in support of Zaharie said that it was his stance from day one that “everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and no one should be judged in his absence”.

“If you said something, it means they have some evidence otherwise they are just trying to crucify him. I hope they have evidence or basis for doing so.

“There have been lots of investigations going on. Fortunately, until today, there has been no substantial or crucial evidence that says Captain Zaharie was involved. We are not in denial. We are not going to disagree with evidence.”

In the USA Today report, an unnamed investigator said that Zaharie was “believed to be solely responsible” for flight MH370 going off course.

The source, a “high-ranking officer attached to a special investigative branch of the Malaysia police force in Kuala Lumpur” said that there was also no evidence of a mechanical failure on the plane or it being hijacked by a passenger.

The investigator was also quoted as saying that among those on board the flight, only the captain has the experience and expertise to fly the plane. The 27-year-old co-pilot, Fariq Abdul Hamid, on the flight did not have the experience to manage such a diversion, it said.

The latest report comes on the heels of Zaharie’s own son insisting that his father was not the kind of man who would hijack a plane.