Stolen passports raise terrorism fears for missing Malaysian plane

Originally published on March 10, 2014

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Reuters reports at least two individuals listed as on board a missing Malaysian Airlines flight are alive and well, with video footage showing an Italian national reported to be on the missing flight speaking to Thai authorities and media, saying he had reported his passport stolen over a year ago.

After reports Malaysian Airlines flight 370 dropped off radar screens Saturday evening, rolls listed an Italian and Austrian citizen as among the passengers.

But authorities in both Italy and Austria have confirmed that the people on the list were not on the missing jet, and both individuals' whereabouts had been confirmed.

Both men had reported having their passports stolen and CNN reports that U.S. authorities believe both passports were stolen in Thailand.

The BBC confirms that the individuals using the stolen passports purchased their tickets at the same time as their ticket numbers were sequential, and both men were also booked on onward transit flights from Beijing to Europe.

A Malaysian Airlines official told Reuters that nearly every non-Chinese citizen requires a visa to visit China, and the visas are checked before boarding.

Beijing is known for its strict visa policies, but citizens from many nations, including those from Italy and Austria, are allowed visa-free transits through the Beijing International Airport.

Officials are combing security footage to identify the fraudulent passport holders, and China says it will also send agents to Malaysia to investigate the misused passports.

The international police agency INTERPOL says it has requested for years that airlines check passport numbers against their list of those reported stolen, but has yet to receive cooperation from all international airlines.

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