Editing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappearance theories (section)

==Hijacking==
The possibility of a simple hijacking has been brought up by various news outlets, including [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] and the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''.<ref name=abc/><ref name=hope>{{cite news | title=Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: Hijacking theory gives relatives hope | url=http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-malaysia-airlines-flight-370-hijack-family-philip-wood-20140316,0,4194274.story | author=Barbara Demick | date=16 March 2014| newspaper=Los Angeles Times | access-date=27 March 2014}}</ref> Speculation has mounted about the possibility that hijackers took the plane to a remote island, although no group has claimed responsibility;<ref name=abc/> unofficial researchers have identified more than 600 possible runways at which the plane was capable of landing.<ref name=hope/> No confirmation has been received from Malaysian officials.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.sky.com/story/1226362/deliberate-action-diverted-missing-plane|title='Deliberate Action' Diverted Missing Plane|date=15 March 2014|publisher=BSkyB|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316111941/https://news.sky.com/story/1226362/deliberate-action-diverted-missing-plane|archive-date=16 March 2014|access-date=27 March 2014}}</ref> The credibility of several hijacking theories have become further marginalized following the discovery of the first definitive fragments of MH370 wreckage in July 2015.<ref>{{cite news | title='Deliberate Action' Diverted Missing Plane | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/malaysia/11772187/MH370-debris-found-live.html | date=31 July 2015| newspaper=Telegraph | access-date=16 September 2016}}</ref>

===Terrorist attack===
Shortly after the aircraft disappeared, it was claimed that it may have been an act of terrorism, possibly a [[conspiracy]] attack.<ref>{{cite news|title=Malaysia Airline MH370: 9/11-style terror allegations resurface in case of lost plane|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/malaysia/10700652/Malaysia-Airline-MH370-911-style-terror-allegations-resurface-in-case-of-lost-plane.html|access-date=18 April 2014|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=These are all the Internet's 'best' theories on Malaysia Flight 370s disappearance|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/03/18/these-are-all-the-internets-best-theories-on-malaysia-flight-370s-disappearance/|access-date=18 April 2014|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=[[Pamela Geller]]|title=Flight MH370: Terrorism expert backs theory of pilot suicide flight|date=26 March 2014|url=http://pamelageller.com/2014/03/flight-mh370-terrorism-expert-backs-theory-pilot-suicide-flight.html/|access-date=18 April 2014|archive-date=31 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331125927/http://pamelageller.com/2014/03/flight-mh370-terrorism-expert-backs-theory-pilot-suicide-flight.html/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Between 9 and 14 March 2014, media mogul [[Rupert Murdoch]] tweeted that Flight 370's disappearance "confirms conspiracy turning to make trouble for China {{sic}}." He later suggested the flight might have been hidden in northern Pakistan, "like [[Osama bin Laden|Bin Laden]]". These remarks have not been confirmed, and were characterized as conspiracy theories by Shiv Malik in ''[[The Guardian]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/mar/16/rupert-murdoch-tweets-conspiracy-theories-flight-mh370-disappearance | title=Rupert Murdoch tweets all kinds of crazy over flight MH370 disappearance | work=The Guardian | date=16 March 2014| access-date=25 March 2014| author=Malik, Shiv}}</ref> The following month, the Russian newspaper ''[[Moskovskij Komsomolets]]'' endorsed a similar theory, claiming that "unknown terrorists" had hijacked the plane, flown it to [[Afghanistan]], and then held the crew and passengers hostage.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/mh370-hijacked-afghanistan-russian-intelligence-3407468 | title=MH370 'hijacked and in Afghanistan': Russian intelligence source claims all passengers and crew are alive but held hostage | work=Daily Mirror | date=13 April 2014 | access-date=27 May 2014 | author=Richards, Chris}}</ref>

===North Korea===
A story circulated on [[Reddit]] that MH370 had sufficient fuel to be hijacked to [[North Korea]] as was done in 1969 with a [[Korean Air Lines YS-11 hijacking|Korean Air Lines YS-11]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hartley-Parkinson|first1=Richard | title=Flight MH370: 17 conspiracy theories 100 days on from plane's disappearance | url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/flight-mh370-17-conspiracy-theories-3620032 | date=15 June 2014 | newspaper=Daily Mirror | access-date=4 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Masi|first1=Alessandria|title=Malaysia Air Conspiracy Theory Roundup|url=http://www.vocativ.com/world/malaysia/malaysia-air-conspiracy-theory-roundup/|access-date=4 September 2014|publisher=[[Vocativ]]|date=10 March 2014|archive-date=9 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809104616/http://www.vocativ.com/world/malaysia/malaysia-air-conspiracy-theory-roundup/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Acquisition of Freescale staff===
A variety of social media posts and email [[chain letters]] claim that a patent (#[https://patents.google.com/patent/US8671381 8671381]) was approved days after the disappearance of the MH370, and the right to the patent was split five ways—20% to [[Freescale Semiconductor]] and 20% each to four employees, all of whom were passengers on the plane.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/9988150/12-bizarre-MH370-conspiracy-theories|title=12 bizarre MH370 conspiracy theories|last=Pritchard|first=Tom|work=[[Stuff.co.nz]]|date=29 April 2014}}</ref> The patent deals with fabrication of integrated circuits on a semiconductor wafer. The fact-checking website [[snopes.com]] suggests that there is no evidence that the four inventors listed on the patent application were on the aircraft passenger list, nor that they were entitled to a 20% share of the patent, and it says it is unlikely that their share would revert to Freescale on their death as presented in the email.<ref>{{cite web|title=Patent Pending|url=http://www.snopes.com/politics/conspiracy/malaysiapatent.asp|website=Snopes.com|date=13 March 2014 |access-date=23 June 2014}}</ref>

===Diego Garcia===
Conspiracy theorists have suggested that MH370 was either captured by [[United States Navy SEALs|U.S. Navy SEALs]] and then flown to the [[United States Navy|U.S. Naval base]] on the atoll of [[Diego Garcia]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26609687 |title=Missing Malaysia plane: 10 theories examined |work=BBC News |date=19 March 2014|access-date=26 March 2014|author=De Castella, Tom}}</ref> in the [[British Indian Ocean Territory]] to bring to justice Chinese computer scientists believed to be responsible for hacking attacks on U.S. Department of Defense computer servers or that the plane landed at the base directly after being instructed to travel there. The latter theory was raised at a [[White House]] daily briefing on 18 March, whereupon press secretary [[Jay Carney]] responded, "I'll rule that one out."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/18/mh370-missing-plane-search-live |title=MH370: Ban on overflights and delays in sharing data hamper search |work=The Guardian |date=18 March 2014 |access-date=26 March 2014 |author=Farrell, Paul}}</ref> Underpinning the Diego Garcia theory were several elements, one of which was the co-pilot's mobile phone contact and the plane's westward turn, both of which were consistent with a flight path toward the island.{{cn|date=July 2023}}

In that vein, it was reported by the ''[[Daily Mirror]]'', without giving a concrete source, that the captain had trained in landing on an Indian Ocean island with a short runway, using a flight simulator in his home computer.<ref name="mirror.co.uk">{{Cite web |last1=Richards |first1=Chris |last2=Warburton |first2=Dan |date=23 June 2014 |title=Flight MH370: Missing jet pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah is prime suspect because he cleared his diary |url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/flight-mh370-official-police-investigation-3741513 |access-date=3 July 2014 |website=The Mirror}}</ref> Several mass media sources reported that the captain had trained using his aviasimulator to land on five runways—each at least {{convert|1000|m|mi}} long—in the Indian Ocean region, namely Diego Garcia and [[Male International Airport]] (MLE) and other airstrips in India and Sri Lanka.<ref name="CNN-DG">{{cite news|url=http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1114188|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140503043749/http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1114188|archive-date=3 May 2014|title=Flight MH370 Facts|date=29 March 2014|access-date=7 April 2015|url-status=dead|publisher=Mediaviews CNN iReport}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/cops-find-five-indian-ocean-practice-runways-in-mh370-pilots-simulator-bh-r|title=Cops find five Indian Ocean practice runways in MH370 pilot's simulator, BH reports |date=18 March 2014|publisher=malaymail Online|access-date=2015-04-07}}</ref>

These allegations were disputed by the FBI, which reported that after analyzing the impounded flight simulator, it had found "nothing suspicious whatsoever" and said that the ''Mirror''{{'}}s reports about the simulator's contents were "unsubstantiated and unsourced".<ref name="FBISimulator">{{cite web|title=FBI Finishes Probe into Malaysia Airlines Captain's Flight Simulator|url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/04/no-clues-to-missing-malaysia-airlines-plane-in-captains-flight-simulator/|publisher=ABC News|access-date=8 December 2014}}</ref><ref name="MirrorUnsubstantiated">{{cite news|title=FBI says nothing sinister on pilot's simulator as search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 shifts to new area west of Perth|url=http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/fbi-says-nothing-sinister-on-pilots-simulator-as-search-for-missing-malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-shifts-to-new-area-west-of-perth/story-fnizu68q-1226868639268|work=news.com.au|access-date=8 December 2014|archive-date=13 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213010119/http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/fbi-says-nothing-sinister-on-pilots-simulator-as-search-for-missing-malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-shifts-to-new-area-west-of-perth/story-fnizu68q-1226868639268|url-status=dead}}</ref> Giving a new twist to the MH370 missing story, a former French airline boss has claimed that the Malaysia Airlines flight was shot down by the U.S. military near their base on Diego Garcia.<ref name="frenchboss">{{cite web|title=Missing MH370 Was Shot Down by US Military, Claims Former French Airline Boss|url=http://defenceradar.com/2014/12/23/missing-mh370-was-shot-down-by-us-military-claims-former-french-airline-boss/|date=23 December 2014|access-date=23 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223114837/http://defenceradar.com/2014/12/23/missing-mh370-was-shot-down-by-us-military-claims-former-french-airline-boss/|archive-date=23 December 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In an article published on 18 March 2014, journalists Farah Ahmed and Ahmed Naif of the [[Maldives|Maldivian]] newspaper ''[[Haveeru]]'' wrote: "...several residents of [[Kudahuvadhoo|Kuda Huvadhoo]] told ''Haveeru'' on Tuesday that they saw a 'low flying jumbo jet' at around 06:15 on March 8. They said that it was a white aircraft, with red stripes across it—which is what the Malaysia Airlines flights typically look like. Eyewitnesses from the Kuda Huvadhoo concurred that the jet was traveling North to South-East, towards the Southern tip of the Maldives—Addu. They also noted the incredibly loud noise that the flight made when it flew over the island. 'I've never seen a jet flying so low over our island before. We've seen seaplanes, but I'm sure that this was not one of those. I could even make out the doors on the plane clearly.' said an eyewitness. 'It's not just me either, several other residents have reported seeing the exact same thing. Some people got out of their houses to see what was causing the tremendous noise too.' Mohamed Zaheem, the Island Councilor of Kuda Huvadhoo, said that the residents of the island had spoken about the incident."<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Farah |first1=Ahmed |last2=Naif |first2=Ahmed |date=18 March 2014 |title=Maldives island residents report sighting of 'low flying jet' |url=http://www.haveeru.com.mv/news/54062 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150309021246/http://www.haveeru.com.mv/news/54062 |archive-date=9 March 2015 |access-date=8 March 2015 |work=[[Haveeru Daily]]}}</ref>

The discovery in late July 2015 of debris from a Boeing 777, on a beach on [[Réunion]] island, east of [[Madagascar]], suspected (and later deemed "highly likely")<ref name=BBC33794012>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-33794012 |title=Plane debris is from missing MH370 |work=BBC News Online |access-date=5 August 2015}}</ref><ref>Shahrestani, Vin [https://web.archive.org/web/20150806010230/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/mh370/11779673/MH370-Malaysian-government-confirms-debris-is-from-a-Boeing-777.html "MH370: Malaysian government confirms debris is from a Boeing 777"] The ''Telegraph'' (UK), 5 August 2015</ref> to be from MH370, quickly led to renewed Internet speculation that the plane had been shot down near Diego Garcia, which is {{convert|1475|mi|km}} away from Réunion,<ref name="Independent31July2015a">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/mh370-debris-discovery-sends-conspiracy-theories-into-overdrive-about-shotdown-plane-10430576.html |title=MH370 'debris' discovery sends conspiracy theories into overdrive about 'shot-down plane'|newspaper=The Independent|author=Lizzie Dearden| date=31 July 2015|access-date=6 August 2015}}</ref> out of fears of a terrorist attack.<ref name=Independent31July2015a/> However, oceanographers such as Professor Charitha Pattiaratchi from the [[University of Western Australia]] said that "the arrival of MH370 debris in Réunion would conform to [[Indian Ocean Gyre|the expected path of ocean currents]] from the point in its flight path where it was believed to have crashed".<ref name="Independent31July2015a"/> Many people, including some of those who believed the plane had landed safely on Diego Garcia (or elsewhere), quickly dismissed the debris as fake.<ref name=Independent31July2015a/>

===Phantom cellphone theory===
Some had speculated that the passengers were still alive but could not answer their cellphones—sometimes known as the "phantom cellphone theory". This was based on early reports that family members of Flight 370 passengers heard ringing (as opposed to a busy/off signal) while calling the passengers' phones, though this was after the disappearance.<ref name=Pickell>{{cite web | url=http://www.boston.com/news/source/2014/03/9_crazy_conspiracy_theories_about_malaysian_airlines_flight.html | title=9 crazy conspiracy theories about Malaysia Airlines flight 370 | work=Boston.com| date=12 March 2014| access-date=24 March 2014| author=Pickell, Jack}}</ref> However, this was later challenged by Jeff Kagan, a wireless analyst, who in an email to [[NBC News]] explained that the network may still produce "[[Ringback tone|ringbacks]]" as it searches for a connection, even if the cellphone has been destroyed.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/missing-jet/malaysia-airlines-passengers-phones-ringing-maybe-not-n49371 | title=Malaysia Airlines Passengers' Phones Ringing? Maybe Not | work=NBC News | date=10 March 2014| access-date=25 March 2014| author=Coldewey, Devin}}</ref>