Interpol and Police in Malaysia say they do not believe two men who boarded flight MH370 on stolen passports were terrorists. One of them was a man (19) from Iran whom it is thought may have been trying to migrate to Europe.
It comes as authorities further extend the area that is being combed for evidence of the missing plane.
Interpol says the Austrian and Italian passports were recorded in its Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database were used by passengers on board the missing flight.
The passports were were both stolen in Thailand in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Interpol says it is also conducting checks on all other passports used to board flight MH370 which may have been reported stolen.
The news that two passengers on board the flight were travelling on stolen passports had fuelled speculation of a security breach and possible terrorist attack. But Malaysian police have said that one of the two men was an Iranian asylum seeker trying to reach Germany.
Pouri Nourmohammadi was travelling with the stolen Austrian passport. The other man, also an Iranian, has been named as Delavar Seyedmohammadreza (29).
These two men travelled on fake passports on the flight
Tehran has said it has offered assistance to the investigation.
Interpol's Secretary General Ronald Noble said both men had travelled to Malaysia on their Iranian passports, then apparently switched to the stolen documents.
Based on growing information, Mr. Noble said he was "inclined to conclude" the plane's disappearance was not due to terrorism.
Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said "To date we have uncovered two passengers which was travelling on a stolen passport. We have identified one of them. And this one that we have identified is an Iranian by the name of Pouria Nour Mohammad Mehrdad".
"He is 19 years old and he is an Iranian - we believe that he is an Iranian. We have been checking his background".
"We have also checked him with other police organisation on his profile, and we believe that he is not likely to be a member of any terrorist group. And we believe that he is trying to migrate to Germany".
Check for personal or psychological problems
Police have said they are investigating whether any passengers or crew had "personal or psychological problems" as a possible cause of the aircraft's disappearance, along with hijacking, sabotage, or mechanical failure.
The new search area, well beyond the projected flight path of the plane, was confirmed by Malaysia Airlines on Tuesday morning as they continue to look at the possibility the plane attempted to turn back towards Kuala Lumpur.
The "extensive" search and rescue operation is being conducted with the help of Australia, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, and the United States. Nine aircraft and 24 ships are currently deployed.
"All angles are being looked at. We are not ruling out any possibilities" a spokesperson for the airline said.
"Apart from the search in the sea, search on land in between these areas is also conducted".
According to investigators, the last known position of MH370 before it disappeared off the radar was 065515 North (longitude) and 1033443 East (latitude).
Investigators are baffled by the lack of any wreckage and cannot understand why the black box flight recorders are not transmitting a signal. They are designed to transmit signals on contact with water.
The airline has confirmed that the 12-year-old Boeing 777 was serviced 10 days before it went missing.
"The B777-200 aircraft that operated MH370 underwent maintenance on 23 February 2014, 10 days before this particular flight on 8 March 2014" a statement said.
"The next check is due on 19th June 2014. The maintenance was conducted at the KLIA hangar and there were no issues on the health of the aircraft".
Earlier reports of debris spotted in the South China Sea, including an aircraft door, have not been confirmed, while a possible sighting of a section of the plane's tail has been ruled out.
Rescuers are also responding to reports of debris floating in the sea south of Hong Kong. It has also been confirmed that samples of oil taken from a slick in the South China Sea came from a ship, not the missing aircraft.
With no confirmation that the Boeing 777 has crashed, hundreds of distraught relatives are still waiting anxiously for any news.
Nearly two-thirds of the passengers on the flight were Chinese and if the loss of the plane is confirmed, it would be the country's second-worst air disaster.
Kate Hodal is the Southeast Asia correspondent for The Guardian. She told Newstalk Breakfast earlier authorities still have no idea what happened to the aircraft.
