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Malaysian officials investigating the Beijing-bound plane that vanished Friday say they haven't
ruled out terrorism as a cause. This, after authorities discovered two names on the plane's
passenger list belonged to Europeans whose passports had been stolen.
Malaysia Airlines released this list of passengers. The names Luigi Maraldi and Christian Kozel
were on the list but were not on the plane. Both men reportedly had their passports stolen
in Thailand.
Maraldi's father in Italy told NBC: "Luigi called us early this morning to reassure us
he was fine, but we didn't know about the accident. Thank God he heard about it before
us."
According to The Guardian, Austria's foreign ministry confirmed Kozel, also listed on the
manifest, is living safely in Austria.
In light of the stolen passports, Malaysia's Deputy Transport Minister told Malay Mail
authorities are investigating foul play as a potential cause.
Still, officials are warning against jumping to conclusions — pointing out stolen passports
could be used for other criminal purposes, like drug smuggling.
The Boeing 777 was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members when it left Kuala Lumpur
Saturday. It lost contact with air traffic control about two hours after take-off — especially
puzzling considering there was no bad weather. (Via Fox News)
The jetliner's location remains a mystery. State media in China and Vietnam are reporting
it crashed near Vietnam, but Malaysian officials have not identified a crash site.
The Vietnamese government reported Saturday its air force had spotted two large oil slicks
between 6 and 9 miles long off the coast. Authorities suspect the slicks might be from
the missing plane. (Via The New York Times)
The U.S. Navy has sent both a warship and a surveillance plane to search for the missing
plane. The State Department has confirmed three Americans were on board.