China said Tuesday none of the Chinese passengers aboard the missing Malaysia Airlines airliner appear to have links to terrorism, as the massive, multinational search for the jet expanded further.
The official Xinhua news agency quoted China's ambassador to Malaysia (Huang Huikang) as saying the determination was made following background checks on all passengers from the mainland. About two-thirds of the 227 passengers on board the jet were Chinese.
The ambassador also said China has begun looking for the Boeing 777 "in the territory along the northern corridor" of the search area.
The plane appears to have flown either north toward Central Asia or south, deeper into the vast Indian Ocean after it mysteriously vanished on March 8. Investigators believe the jet may have been deliberately diverted from its initial flight path from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
The New York Times is reporting the plane's intended route appears to have been altered by a computer system mostly likely programmed by someone in the cockpit with knowledge of advanced aircraft systems.
Speaking anonymously, U.S. officials told the Times the development reinforces the theory that foul play is involved and will likely increase scrutiny of the plane's pilot and co-pilot.