Malaysia Air Force Chief Now Denying Making Major Claim He Reportedly Made Earlier About Missing Jet

Story by the Associated Press; curated by Oliver Darcy.

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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia's air force chief has denied remarks attributed to him in a local paper that a passenger jet missing for more than four days had been tracked by military radar to the Malacca strait.

Gen. Rodzali Daud said in a statement Wednesday that the military believes the Boeing 777 may have turned back, and noted it first said that on March 9.

This photo provided by Laurent Errera taken Dec. 26, 2011, shows the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER that disappeared from air traffic control screens Saturday, taking off from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport in France. (AP Photo/Laurent Errera) 

The developments suggest confusion at the highest level over where the plane might be.

The country's civilian aviation chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said he could neither confirm nor deny the military's remarks.

"There is a possibility of an air turn back. We are still investigating and looking at the radar readings," he said.

It is possible the radar readings are not definitive, especially if the plane was malfunctioning.

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