Investigators: no evidence of foul play

Speculation that the missing airplane was brought down by some sort of attack is unfounded, say Malaysian investigators. While the possibility of terrorist attacks or hijackings cannot be entirely ruled out, they say, the evidence does not warrant such conclusions. Instead, pilot or mechanical failures are the most likely cause for the disappearance. A European security source tells Reuters:

There is no evidence to suggest an act of terror. [There is ] no explanation what’s happened to it or where it is.

US spy satellites recorded no imagery of a mid-air explosion of any kind, a US government source says. Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, the head of Malaysia’s Civil Aviation Authority, tells reporters:

Unfortunately we have not found anything that appears to be objects from the aircraft, let alone the aircraft. As far as we are concerned, we have to find the aircraft. We have to find a piece of the aircraft if possible.

One source says that the lack of debris may indicate that “the aircraft is likely to have disintegrated at around 35,000 feet,” though more likely from mechanical causes and not from bombs or other explosive devices.