The missile that downed Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine was transported from Russia, a criminal inquiry revealed Wednesday, adding that more than 100 people were under investigation for the 2014 disaster.
The investigators also confirmed that the missile which slammed into the Malaysia Airlines plane was fired from a field in a part of eastern Ukraine under the control of pro-Russia separatists at the time.
But the Dutch-led investigation did not directly accuse Moscow of supplying the BUK missile and its transporter system -- and the Russian government has repeatedly denied any involvement.
The Malaysia Airlines passenger jet was blown from the skies in July 2014 during a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing all 298 people on board including 196 Dutch citizens.
"Based on the criminal investigation, we have concluded that flight MH17... was downed by a BUK missile of the series 9M38, that came from the territory of the Russian Federation," said Wilbert Paulissen, the head of the Dutch police investigation.
Afterwards the missile launcher system "was taken back to Russia," he added.
Using photos, videos, witness statements and telephone conversations, the investigators have retraced the route taken by the convoy which brought the missile system into eastern Ukraine.
But to the frustration of relatives, the investigators did not name any suspects at their briefing in the central town of Nieuwegein, near Utrecht.
The BUK was fired from a field in Pervomaiskyi which at the time "was in the hands of the Russian separatists," said Paulissen.
The joint investigation "has identified approximately 100 people" believed to have had an "active role" in the transporting of the missile system used to bring down the routine flight, chief investigator Fred Westerbeke said.
The investigation has been headed by the Dutch prosecution service, but includes teams from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and Ukraine.
They first met relatives of the victims on Wednesday to discuss the results.
"What is clear is that the BUK missile system came from Russia to Ukraine, was fired and taken back to Russia. That clearly suggest the involvement of the Russian Federation," Piet Ploeg, who lost three relatives in the disaster, told AFP.
Seeking answers
But so far no one has been charged in the investigations, and relatives of the victims are anxious for justice.
"Apart from wanting to know exactly what weapon was used and where it was fired from, we also want an answer as to where we go from here," said Evert van Zijtveld, chairman of the foundation that supports families of MH17 victims.
"We want to see the perpetrators caught and put on trial," he told AFP. Zijtveld lost his 18-year-old son Robert-Jan and daughter Frederique, 19, in the tragedy.
On Monday, Russia again sought to deflect the blame for the MH17 disaster, releasing what it said were radar images showing that no missile fired from rebel-held territory in the east could have hit the plane.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted Wednesday that Russia had provided "exhaustive information" which investigators should take into account.
"The data is unequivocal and on that data, there is no missile. Therefore if there was a missile it could have been launched only from a different territory," he said.
Ukraine and the West insist pro-Russian rebels blew the jet out of the sky with a Russian-made missile system likely supplied by Moscow.
The tragedy saw the European Union slap tougher sanctions on Russia -- blamed by the West for being behind the rebellion. The punitive measures remain in place as the fighting drags on.
But Russia and the rebels have consistently denied any role in downing the plane, and have instead blamed Ukrainian government forces.
AFP
Wed Sep 28 2016
The missile which brought down Flight MH17 two years ago over eastern Ukraine was transported into the area from Russia.
AWANI Pagi: Perang Israel-Iran: Perang alaf baharu?
Diskusi 8.30 pagi Sabtu bersama Jumaat bersama Pakar Hubungan Antarabangsa, Prof Dr. Ahmad Marthada Mohamed mengenai kemungkinan lebih buruk boleh dijangkakan di rantau Asia Barat selepas Israel bertindak melancarkan peluru berpandu dan membedil bandar Isfahan di Iran semalam.
Buang dua ekor itik kerana bimbang nasib malang
Siok Hui meletakkan kedua-dua itik itu dalam sebuah kotak sebelum ditinggalkan di Hutan Simpan Bukit Timah ketika kejadian pada 2020.
Piala FA Inggeris: Status Erling Haaland masih tanda tanya
Pep Guardiola mendedahkan bahawa pemain berusia 23 tahun itu meminta untuk dikeluarkan tanpa memberi alasan yang kukuh.
Anwar hadir selesai kemelut MPN Sabah
Beliau mempengerusikan perjumpaan tersebut yang dipercayai bagi menyelesaikan kemelut politik PKR di negeri ini.
Piala Asia B-23: Vietnam intai peluang benam Malaysia, layak ke suku akhir
Vietnam mencari peluang untuk memastikan slot ke suku akhir Piala Asia B23 apabila berdepan Malaysia malam ini.
AWANI Pagi: Berita tumpuan & menarik di astroawani.com [20 April 2024]
AWANI Pagi bersama Geegee Ahmad & Azib Zikry membincangkan keperluan pengenalan Skim Kemalangan Bukan Bencana Kerja (SKBBK) di mana Presiden Kongres Kesatuan Sekerja Malaysia (MTUC), Mohd Effendy Abdul Ghani akan menekankan bahawa langkah proaktif itu adalah untuk melindungi hak-hak pekerja khususnya apabila melibatkan kemalangan jalan raya di luar waktu bekerja.
Lelaki bertindak bakar diri di luar mahkamah New York
Max Azzarello yang berasal dari St. Augustine, Florida, dilaporkan telah diselamatkan dan berada dalam keadaan kritikal.
[TERKINI] Ketua Polis Negara paling lama meninggal dunia
Bekas Ketua Polis Negara, Tun Mohamed Hanif Omar, meninggal dunia pada usia 85 tahun di kediamannya di Shah Alam pada 2.15 pagi Sabtu.
Pasangan suami isteri tidak sangka dua kali tolak tawaran, masih ada rezeki tunai haji tahun ini
Selepas surat tawaran berada di dalam tangan, dia dan isteri giat membuat persiapan demi memastikan mereka memperoleh haji yang mabrur.
Lelaki bertindak bakar diri di luar Mahkamah New York
Seorang lelaki bertindak membakar dirinya di luar mahkamah New York di mana perbicaraan bagi kes bekas presiden Amerika syarikat Donald Trump sedang berjalan