Fragments of a suspected Russian missile system have been found at the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crash site in Ukraine, Dutch investigators said Tuesday.
The parts are thought to be from a Buk surface-to-air system — the type of system investigators suspect was used to down the plane, CNN reported.
But prosecutors said they have not yet proved the missile parts “causal connection” with the July 2014 crash that killed all 298 people on board.
“The parts are of particular interest to the criminal investigation as they can possibly provide more information about who was involved in the crash of MH17,” reads a statement released by the Joint Investigation Team, the international group of prosecutors leading the criminal investigation, CNN reported.
The Boeing 777 was heading from Amsterdam to Malaysia when it was shot down over Ukrainian territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
About two-thirds of those who died were Dutch nationals, with dozens of Malaysians and Australians among the rest.
Ukraine and many Western countries have accused pro-Russian rebels of shooting down the Malaysian Airlines plane, alleging they could have used a Buk missile system supplied by Russia.
Russia and the rebels deny any responsibility and say the Ukrainian military was to blame.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.