'One of two men who boarded doomed Air Malaysia flight on a stolen passport looked like Mario Balotelli': Authorities reveal key clue as they hunt Mr Ali, mystery Iranian businessman who booked their tickets
Asked by a reporter what they looked like 'roughly', he said: 'Do you know of a footballer by the name of (Mario) Balotelli? He is an Italian. Do you know how he looks like?'
A reporter then asked, 'Is he black?' and the aviation chief replied, 'Yes'.
Authorities had today still found no trace of the missing plane despite searches by ships from six navies and dozens of military aircraft.
A Thai travel agent who arranged the tickets for the two passengers has now said she had booked them on the flight via Beijing because they were the cheapest tickets, it has been reported.