MH17 shot down by Buk missile brought from Russia, say investigators

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was downed over eastern Ukraine by a Buk missile brought in from Russia and fired from a village under the control of pro-Russian separatists, a team of international prosecutors said Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference in the Dutch city of Nieuwegein, Wilbert Paulissen, the head of the Dutch National Detective Force, said there was conclusive evidence that a missile from the Russian-made Buk 9M38 missile system downed the passenger flight on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people on board.

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The Buk was returned to Russian territory the next day,said Paulissen, presenting the findings of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), a Dutch-led group of prosecutors gathering evidence for a potential criminal trial into the downing of MH17.

"We have no doubt whatsoever that conclusions we are presenting today are accurate," he said.

Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the findings pointed to the "direct involvement" of Russia, and said an investigation was ongoing into specific suspects and their "place in the chain of command" in order to pursue a criminal case.

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Russia, which has repeatedly denied any involvement in the downing of the plane, rejected the report.

"None of the missile complexes, including BUK, have ever crossed Russian-Ukrainian border," said Russia's spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, Igor Konashenkov, in a statement.

"All data presented today is based upon two sources -- the Internet and Ukrainian security services. That's why the objectivity of this data, and so of all the conclusions made based on it, leaves us with doubt."

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Prosecutor: 100 people linked

Evidence presented by the JIT Wednesday included intercepted phone calls, witness accounts and material on social media that investigators said established the missile system's route in a convoy into Ukraine, which was displayed in a computer-generated animation.

Paulissen said the missile was fired from farmland near the village of Pervomaysk which was under the control of pro-Russian rebels at the time -- a conclusion supported by satellite data from the United States and the European Space Agency.

Dutch prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said there were about 100 people linked "in one way or another" to the transportation and firing of the Buk, but they were yet to formally identify individual suspects.

He said prosecutors were still seeking a clearer picture around the chain of command: "Who ordered to transport the Buk, who ordered the MH17 to be shot down, if the crew took their own decisions, or were they operating on instructions from above?"

But they believed there was a realistic chance that the perpetrators would be brought to justice, he said.

Investigators said they were not about to make any statement about the involvement of Russia, or Russians, in the downing of the plane.

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Family members grateful

The findings are the first released by the group, comprised of prosecutors from the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and Ukraine, in its criminal investigation into the downing of Flight MH17. Nearly 200 of those on board were Dutch citizens.

Family members of the victims were briefed ahead of the public release of the report.

News Courtesy: www.cnn.com