Pilot's daughter says UK tabloid 'made up' MH370 report

Image
AFP Kuala Lumpur
Last Updated : Mar 31 2014 | 10:17 PM IST
The daughter of MH370's pilot has accused a British tabloid of "making up" an article in which the paper quoted her saying her father was unstable before the flight, a report said today.
The Daily Mail, whose coverage of the three-week-long missing-plane crisis has been questioned before, said in a report Sunday that family members described captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, 53, as "disturbed".
Authorities are closely investigating the backgrounds of Zaharie and his co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27, over the mysterious disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines flight on March 8 with 239 people aboard. Malaysia says it was deliberately diverted.
But Aishah Zaharie, the captain's daughter, said the Daily Mail report was bogus.
"Dear Daily Mail, You should consider making movies since you are so good at making up stories and scripts out of thin air," she said in a posting late Sunday on her Facebook page, according to news portal Malaysian Insider.
"May god have mercy on your souls. You can bet your ass I will not forgive you," the 28-year-old added.
AFP could not confirm the comments due to the restricted-access settings on Aishah's Facebook page. She did not immediately respond to an AFP message seeking comment.
The tabloid had said Zaharie was "on the brink" of divorcing his wife of 30 years.
Quoting a "source close to the pilot's family", it said Zaharie's wife Faizah Khanum Mustafa Khan told investigators that he stopped speaking to her in the weeks before the flight and "retreated into a shell".
Aishah was quoted as saying: "He wasn't the father I knew. He seemed disturbed and lost in a world of his own."
Malaysian police have questioned the families of Zaharie, co-pilot Fariq and other crew, and seized a flight simulator from the captain's house. No evidence has emerged to implicate anyone.
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had previously criticised an earlier Daily Mail report that described Zaharie as a fanatical supporter of Anwar.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Mar 31 2014 | 10:17 PM IST

Next Story