Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 was shot down on March 8 by the U.S. after being remotely hijacked by an unknown entity, according to a former airline boss who wrote a six-page article of his theory in Paris Match.
The former head of now-defunct Proteus Airlines, Frenchman Marc Dugain, claims the plane was shot out of the sky by U.S. Air Force stationed on Diego Garcia, who feared it would be used in another 9/11-style attack, the Huffington Post reported.
Emirates Airline CEO Tim Clark spoke out in an October interview with Spiegel saying that he too believes the plane was likely taken control of.
Dugain came to this conclusion after he traveled to the Maldives and spoke with a number of residents who apparently saw "red and blue stripes with a white background" on a "huge plane" flying at a low altitude towards Diego Garcia on the same day MH370 disappeared.
Dugain then met the mayor of Baarah island, who showed him pictures of a Boeing fire extinguisher that washed up on the island two weeks after the disappearance and was quickly confiscated by the Maldives military.
Because the extinguisher was floating, it was thought to be empty, which Dugain claims indicates that a fire had occurred on the flight, even suggesting that the plane could have been remotely hacked and set on fire, leading to the asphyxiation of all passengers.
"In 2006, Boeing patented a remote control system using a computer placed inside or outside the aircraft," Dugain told Paris Match.
In an interview with France Inter, Dugain questioned how the U.S., "equipped with the best technology in the world, could have lost track of a 63-metre-long object," reported The Local FR.
"It's an extremely powerful military base. It's surprising that the Americans have lost all trace of this aircraft. Without getting into conspiracy theories, it is a possibility that the Americans stopped this plane," Dugain said.
A British intelligence officer reportedly warned Dugain about the risks he is taking by investigating the matter, telling Dugain to "let time do its work." Upon hearing this, Dugain concluded that "someone knows," reported the International Business Times.
In response to Dugain's claims, Malaysia's Inspector General of Police Abu Bakar stressed the importance of presenting solid evidence to back such claims, saying a lack of proof would only strain diplomatic ties and amplify the anguish of the passengers' loved ones, Malaysiakini reported.
U.S. officials have so far denied that the aircraft ever came close to Diego Garcia before disappearing.
Dugain is the second major airline executive to claim there is more to the disappearance of MH370 than the public is being told.
Emirates Airline CEO Tim Clark spoke out in October claiming he doubts the official story of the missing plane, telling Spiegel, "My own view is that probably control was taken of that airplane."
"It's anybody's guess who did what. We need to know who was on the plane in the detail that obviously some people do know," Clark said. "We need to know what was in the hold of the aircraft. And we need to continue to press all those who were involved in the analysis of what happened for more information."
