Malaysian authorities said Sunday they were “refocusing their investigation” on the crew and passengers of Flight 370. Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said officers from the Royal Malaysia Police visited the home of the pilot, spoke to family members and began examining his flight simulator.
A high-ranking special branch officer, Malaysia’s elite investigative unit, confirmed to USA TODAY that a laptop belonging to pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah was being picked apart for clues.
Zaharie has close ties with Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who has been fighting a charge of sodomy. Hours before boarding the flight, Zaharie turned up at the Court of Appeal in the country’s new administrative capital, Putrajaya, for a hearing in the case. The opposition is appealing Anwar’s prison sentence.