MH370: Malaysia not a hotbed for terrorism - Hishammuddin

Defence and Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussien on Tuesday had dismissed reports that Malaysia is a hotbed for terrorists.

He was responding to the two Iranians who had boarded the missing MH370, using stolen passports.

“I was the minister in charge of Home Affairs several years ago and I can confirm that Malaysia is not a hub for terrorist,” he said.

After the plane went missing, the authorities discovered that two men had used the identities of one Austrian Christian Kozel and Italian Luigi Maraldi to board the MH370.

Kozel and Maraldi had previously reported their passports stolen in Thailand and said that they were not on the plane. Interpol had also confirmed that their passports were used.

Police later identified the two Iranians as 19-year-old Pouria Nour Mohammad Mehrdad and 29-year-old Delavar Seyed Mohammad Reza.

Pouria who had used an Austrian stolen passport, is believed to be travelling to Germany where is hoping to seek asylum.

The two Iranian men were subsequently cleared from any terrorism links.

MH370, a code share flight with China Southern Airlines, left KLIA for Beijing at 12:41am Saturday morning.

The flight had registered 239 passengers, 38 of them Malaysian. It was scheduled to arrive at Beijing International Airport at 6:30am.