Al Qaeda arrests in hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines jet

A group of 11 terrorists with links to Al Qaeda are being interrogated over the disappearance of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

The suspects were arrested in the Malayasian capital Kuala Lumpur and the state of Kedah, it was reported last night.

They are members of a violent new terror group said to be planning horrific bomb attacks in Muslim countries.

The interrogations come after a collaboration of international investigators, including America’s FBI and the UK’s MI6, asked for the militants to be closely questions.

They range in age from 22 to 55 and include those from the business world, students, and casual workers.

It comes eight weeks after the Beijing-bound plane vanished soon after take-off from Kuala Lumpur with 239 passengers on board.

No trace of it has been found, despite a huge sea search costing hundreds of millions of pounds and involving several countries.

It is believed to have crashed into the Indian Ocean with all passengers missing, including children and babies.

An officer with the Counter Terrorism Division of Malaysian Special Branch said the arrests had heightened suspicion that the flight’s disappearance was masterminded by terrorists.

“The possibility that the plane was diverted by militants is still high on the list and international investigators have asked for a comprehensive report on this new terror group,” he is reported to have said.

It is believed that in interviews conducted so far, some suspects have admitted planning ‘sustained terror campaigns’ in Malaysia but so far have denied being involved in the disappearance of the airliner, he continued.

Further mystery surrounding the cargo being carried by the missing jet surfaced last Friday when it was discovered it had been loaded with items not logged on the manifest.

The aircraft was carrying 4.566 tonnes of mangosteens an exotic fruit and a shipment of lithium batteries, which were part of a separate consignment.

The batteries weighed 200kg, but that separate consignment totalled 2.453 tonnes.

Investigators are probing what was being carried to make up the 2.253 tonnes in the separate lot.

A statement from the airline said the freight not specified had been “declared as radio accessories”.

Furious relatives of the missing passengers hit out after Malaysia Airlines said it intended to close help centres set up in Beijing and Kuala Lumpur.

The closures follow the abandonment of the search in the Indian Ocean off Australia.