PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia is confident that the perpetrators responsible in downing the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine in 2014 will be nailed down after extensive investigation into the tragic incident.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said data gathered by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) would be able to identify the culprits.
“The JIT has gathered and investigated more than a billion information from webpages, Facebook and Twitter accounts, besides interviewing more than 200 witnesses.
“Everything is very detailed. It is going to be very tedious. However, we are convinced we will be able to find the culprits,” he said, after attending a memorial service and briefing session with the victims’ next of kin in conjunction with the third anniversary of the MH17 tragedy.
Malaysia and the JIT countries of the Netherlands, Belgium, Ukraine and Australia have agreed that national prosecution against those responsible for shooting down MH17 be done in the Netherlands.
The Boeing B777 aircraft, which was en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam with 298 passengers and crew, was shot down in eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014.
Liow said the full investigation was expected to be completed by early next year before the prosecution process would begin.
“We will ensure justice for the MH17 victims’ next of kin,” he said.
Asked if the JIT had made any arrest so far, Liow said not yet as the investigation was not over.
He said Malaysia wanted ‘the person’ who actually launched the missile to come forward to tell what actually happened on that particular day. — Bernama