Air force 'assumed' control tower ordered turn back

The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) did not act to intercept MH370 when it was detected on the military radar off the Straits of Malacca on March 8 due to an "assumption" that the flight was ordered to turn back by the control tower.

Deputy Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Bakri said the flight, which was not immediately identified as MH370 when it was last detected on the military radar at 2.40am, was identified as "non-hostile".

"We felt the turn back was by a friendly aircraft and the directive had come from the control tower," he said while wrapping up the royal address for the Defence Ministry in Parliament today.

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