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Uncertainly over the fate of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was further compounded
Saturday by reports that two men whose names matched those on the passenger manifest had
reported their passports stolen. Malaysian authorities apparently did not check
the stolen documents on an international law enforcement agency database, CNN has learned.
After the airline released a manifest of the 239 people on the plane, Austria denied that
one of its citizens was on the flight as the list had stated. The Austrian citizen was
safe and sound, and his passport had been stolen two years ago, Austrian Foreign Ministry
spokesman Martin Weiss said. Similarly, Italy's foreign ministry confirmed
that no Italians were on the flight, even though an Italian was listed on the manifest.
Malaysian officials said they were aware of reports that the Italian's passport was also
stolen but had not confirmed it. On Saturday, Italian police visited the home
of the parents of Luigi Maraldi, the man whose name appeared on the manifest, to inform them
about the missing flight, said a police official in Cesena, in northern Italy.
Maraldi's father, Walter, told police that he had just spoken to his son, who was fine
and not on the missing flight, said the official, who is not authorized to speak to the media.
Maraldi was vacationing in Thailand, his father said. The police official said that Maraldi
had reported his passport stolen in Malaysia last August and had obtained a new one.
U.S. law enforcement sources, however, told CNN they've been told that both documents
were stolen in Thailand. Still, the missing passports raised concerns
about the possibility of terrorism. A law enforcement official Saturday told CNN
that various U.S. government agencies were briefed about the passports. The names of
the persons whose passports were stolen have been circulated and checked, the official
said. There's nothing at this point to indicate foul play on their part.
A team of FBI agents is heading to Malaysia to support the investigation because of the
handful of Americans who were on board the plane, a U.S. official told CNN.
The FBI is not ruling out terrorism -- or anything else -- as a cause of the airliner's
disappearance, the official said.