Dutch newspaper NRC reported Fred Westerbeke, who heads the international team conducting the criminal investigation into the attack, as saying that it was still too early to draw conclusions but a number of questions must be asked.
In particular, the team wanted to know why the plane was shot down using the BUK Russian-made mobile radar-guided surface-to-air missile, instead of an aircraft from the “enemy” Ukraine air force.
“It is really important for us to know this,” he was quoted as saying.
“Why was the BUK used to bring down a passenger airline rather than a jet fighter or an Antonov from Ukraine?… What was the aim?” he added.
Westerbeke’s comments to NRC were reported by the English-language Dutch News portal yesterday.
Flight MH17 was shot down over Donetsk in war-torn eastern Ukraine while it was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July17, 2014.
All 298 passengers and crew members on board were killed.
Authorities concluded the plane was shot down by the ground-to-air rocket that was made in Russia. Moscow however denied that any of its rockets could have been used.
Earlier this month, a Ukrainian court ordered the arrest of a Russian army veteran suspected of involvement in the downing.
The Kyiv Post said Sergey Dubinsky was suspected of arranging the movement of the BUK missile launcher into Ukraine.
His voice was also allegedly heard in phone calls intercepted by the Security Service of Ukraine, telling Russian-led soldiers where to take the BUK.
On Dec 10 meanwhile, the Sydney Morning Herald said a semi-retired Russian general had been identified as the person monitoring the cross-border movements of the rocket launcher.
The three-star general was identified as Nikolai Fedorovich Tkachev.
Russian military responsible for MH17 tragedy, says investigative site