Missing Malaysia jetliner was hijacked — report

A week after it vanished, authorities concluded that Malaysia Airlines flight 370 jet was hijacked by one of the pilots or someone else with flying experience, according to a report.

Quoting an official involved in the investigation, the Associated Press on Saturday reported that the highjacking theory has become "conclusive."

Earlier, a Reuters report quoted the chief of Malaysian investigator as saying hijacking could not be ruled out and all possibilities are being investigated into why a Malaysia Airlines jet carrying 239 people went missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing

The investigator said Vietnamese authorities have not confirmed sighting any debris from the plane.
 
Meanwhile, a report on Agence France-Presse said investigators now believe the passenger jet was commandeered by a "skilled, competent" flyer who piloted the plane for hours.

A senior Malaysian military official said this on Saturday as Prime Minister Najib Razak prepared to address the nation on the progress of the probe into the fate of the jetliner, the AFP report said.

Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, the official cited Malaysian military radar data that investigators believe indicate the Boeing 777 may have radically changed course and headed northwest towards the Indian Ocean.

"It has to be a skilled, competent and a current pilot," AFP quoted the official as saying.

"He knew how to avoid the civilian radar. He appears to have studied how to avoid it," the official added.

Prime Minister Najib's office said on its Twitter account that he would address the media at 1:30 pm (0530 GMT), the AFP report said.

Flight MH370 disappeared early Saturday about an hour into its flight from Kuala Lumpur after climbing to a cruising altitude of 35,000 feet (10,670 meters). — Amanda Fernandez /LBG/VC, GMA News