His dad’s no hijacker.
The son of the pilot of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight has spoken out in his defense, saying there was no way his father diverted the plane and crashed it into the Indian Ocean, killing himself and the 238 others aboard.
Ahmad Seth, the son of Capt. Zaharie Ahmad Shah, told the Malaysian media his father was not a “political fanatic” who sought to crash the Boeing jetliner in a vengeful suicide mission.
“I’ve read everything online. But I’ve ignored all the speculation,” Seth, 26, told the New Straits Times, an English-language newspaper in Malaysia.
“I know my father better.”
Seth’s remarks marked the first time any of Zaharie’s family members have spoken to the media since Flight 370 vanished on March 8 on its way to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur.
The 53-year-old pilot and his co-pilot, Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27, have attracted suspicion since the beginning of the continent-spanning search, which this week zeroed in on the southern Indian Ocean.
Zaharie was said to have political connections to a jailed Malaysian opposition leader, and Malaysian officials have repeatedly said the plane was deliberately steered off course by someone with flying experience.
One high-ranking officer involved in the search repeated the claim Wednesday, telling USA Today that the pilot was solely responsible for steering the plane off course.
The unnamed investigators also said there was no evidence of a mechanical problem or a hijacking by a passenger.
Still, Seth said, his dad did not have a death wish.
“We may not be as close as he travels so much. But I understand him,” he told the New Straits Times.
Amid the fresh round of accusations, Seth said he was holding no ill-will toward those who accused his dad of diverting the plane.
Earlier this week, the 26-nation search pivoted to a region deep in the southern Indian Ocean after Malaysian officials said satellite data confirmed the plane went down there.
A Thai satellite on Thursday spotted about 300 objects floating in the southern Indian Ocean some 1,675 miles southwest of Perth, Australia.
But bad weather cut the hunt short after some two hours.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said it pulled back 11 planes due to heavy rain, winds and low clouds. Five ships continued the hunt.
Seth said he was still holding out hope that survivors would be found.
“I will believe (that there are no survivors) when I see the proof in front of my eyes,” he said.
