The Federal Bureau of Investigation will be deploying agents and technical experts to investigate the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines flight, The Los Angeles Times reports.
While the multinational search continues for the whereabouts of the aircraft which carried 239 people, the FBI — citing at least three American citizens who were passengers — will investigate the circumstances surrounding the jet’s strange disappearance from radar screens in Vietnam airspace as it traveled at 35,000 feet.
The Times has more:
U.S. officials said they are looking at whether this could be terrorism, as they would with any plane crash until proved otherwise. Though two passengers apparently used stolen passports, “there is no indication this is a terrorist attack; stolen passports are certainly not indicative of a terrorist attack,” a senior counter terrorism official said.
The official said there was “no evidence” of terrorism thus far. Law enforcement officials were not authorized to speak publicly.
Two large oil slicks have been spotted near the southern tip of Vietnam that could possibly indicate the location of a crash site, although nothing has yet been confirmed.
FBI personnel will join others in the region already assisting in search-and-rescue, including planes, ships, and personnel from Malaysia, Singapore, China, Vietnam, and the U.S.
A U.S. law enforcement official speaking to The Times also said the NTSB would likely investigate the crash as well since the aircraft involved was made by Boeing, an American company.
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