MH17 Probe Report to Provide More Clues on Crash
September 28 2016 - 07:00AM
Dow Jones News
NIEUWEGEIN, Netherlands—Dutch prosecutors investigating the
crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 more than two years ago are
set to deliver their initial findings Wednesday on the downing of
the jetliner.
Dutch prosecutor Fred Westerbeke is leading the international
criminal probe into the 2014 crash that killed all 298 people on
board. The report is expected to address issues not covered in the
air-safety probe, also led by the Netherlands, which last year
determined a sophisticated Russian anti-aircraft missile brought
down the Boeing 777 plane.
Dutch officials have said that in Wednesday's report they would
provide more information about the missile that struck the
passenger plane and the exact location from where the weapon was
fired. But they won't shed more light on the identity of the
suspected perpetrators. That part of the probe could take more
time, they have said.
The jetliner operated by Malaysia Airlines was flying from
Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it plunged out of the sky over
eastern Ukraine. Pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian troops were
fighting for control of the region at the time. Most of the
fatalities were Dutch.
Ukraine has accused Russian-backed militants operating in the
area where the missile was launched. Russia and the rebels it
supports have said Ukrainian forces were responsible.
Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution that
would have established an international criminal tribunal to
investigate the downing of the plane.
The Dutch Safety Board, which led the air-safety probe, last
October said a Russian-made Buk missile system struck the Boeing
aircraft, causing it to break apart and plunge to the ground. The
launch location was within a 320-square-kilometer (124-square-mile)
area in eastern Ukraine, the safety board said, without identifying
who fired the missile.
Relatives of the victims have expressed anger at the slow pace
of the criminal investigation and that, more than two years after
the crash, the perpetrators still haven't been identified and
brought to justice.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major Gen. Igor Konashenkov
this week accused Ukraine of withholding information on the
incident.
Amie Ferris-Rotman in Moscow contributed to this article.
Write to Maarten Van Tartwijk at maarten.vantartwijk@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 28, 2016 06:45 ET (10:45 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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