MH17 crash: Video appeal launched for BUK rocket witnesses

A video appeal has been launched for witnesses who may have seen the transport or firing of a Russian-made rocket at Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.

International investigators probing the downing of the plane in eastern Ukraine last July, are trying to clarify whether a BUK rocket was responsible for the deaths of the 298 passengers and crew on board.

“What we are bringing forward now is this scenario of the BUK missile system in the east of Ukraine because there is quite some information we wanted to show and we want to verify or falsify, and that is why we are now more emphasising this part,” said Fred Westerbeke, heading the MH17 case investigation team.

“But of course, like I have already said, the other scenarios are still part of the investigation.”

A prosecution spokesman however has described the BUK – a Russian-made anti-aircraft missile system – as 
“the leading scenario”.

“There is still more than one scenario, but the one of the BUK rocket has a lot of unanswered questions and that’s why we have put out an appeal,” said prosecution spokesman Wim de Bruin.

“The BUK scenario is the leading scenario.”

Western governments and Kyiv have repeatedly blamed pro-Russian rebels for the disaster. Moscow denies this suggesting the plane was downed by the Ukrainian military.

The Netherlands is heading the international probe into the crash.Two thirds of those killed were Dutch.

The video appeal, carrying images of the BUK weapon system on a flatbed truck and audio recordings of intercepted telephone conversations between pro-Russian separatists, was being aired on television and radio and distributed on websites and social media.

Witnesses are being called upon to provide information to the joint international investigation, which also includes officials from Belgium, Ukraine, Australia and Malaysia.]

Source: euronews