Dutch prosecutor Fred Westerbeke, coordinator of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) established to investigate the causes of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that was shot down in the Donbas region, claims to have an eyewitness that saw the launch of the Buk missile that allegedly brought down the jetliner
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2020) Dutch prosecutor Fred Westerbeke, coordinator of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) established to investigate the causes of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that was shot down in the Donbas region, claims to have an eyewitness that saw the launch of the Buk missile that allegedly brought down the jetliner.
During an appearance on the US broadcaster CBS, Westerbeke was asked whether or not the JIT had an eyewitness to the missile launch.
"I'd say I have an eyewitness. And how many? I didn't say how many," the prosecutor stated.
Westerbeke also stated that the remains of 296 of the 298 victims of the plane crash had been identified.
MH17 crashed on July 17, 2014 in Donbas while en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam, leaving no survivors. Ukraine and the self-proclaimed republics in Donbas have blamed each other for the incident.
The crash is being investigated by the Dutch-led JIT, which operates without the participation of Moscow. The JIT claims that the aircraft was downed by a Buk missile originating from the Russian armed forces.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has refuted the accusation as groundless and called the investigation biased, while presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has repeatedly stated that Russia rejects any allegations of involvement in the incident.
On February 18, Dutch journalist Max van der Werff pointed out deficiencies in the Dutch-led JIT's investigation into the plane's downing by highlighting inconsistencies in the data.
