The father-of-three was a fervent supporter of Anwar Ibrahim - jailed for homosexuality only hours before the Malaysia Airways jet disappeared
The pilot of the missing Malaysia Airlines jet is
pictured in a T-shirt with a Democracy is Dead slogan as fears emerge
he could have hijacked the plane as an anti-government protest.
Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah was a fervent supporter of his country's opposition leader who was jailed for homosexuality - illegal in Malaysia - only hours before flight MH370 vanished with 239 passengers and crew on board, the Sunday Mirror can reveal.
And in a new twist, it emerged that the pilot's wife and three children moved out of the family's home the day before the plane's disappearance.
Not sure what to believe about MH370? We debunk the myths here.
The revelations came after Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak yesterday confirmed the Boeing 777 jet was deliberately diverted from its planned route between his country's capital Kuala Lumpur and Beijing.
Investigators said trackers aboard the plane, which transmit its location to air traffic controllers, were disabled moments after take-off last Friday.
And the airliner could have flown on for seven hours after vanishing from radar over the South China Sea.
Police raided the pilot's home in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.
They spent two hours at the gated property and left carrying small bags believed to contain evidence.
They also found that the experienced pilot, who has worked for Malaysia Airlines since 1981, had built a Boeing 777 flight simulator inside.
Follow the latest developments in the search with our live blog here
But his friend Peter Chong insisted Capt Zaharie, 53, would be "the last person" to hijack the aircraft.
He told the Sunday Mirror: "I would trust that man with my life. He loves people and being involved in something like that would hurt people. I would not believe he was involved in any way at all. If I went on a plane and was allowed the choice of a pilot, I would choose Captain Zaharie."
Mr Chong last saw his friend a week before the jet vanished. He said the two had agreed to meet up this week and that the pilot had been "his normal, cheerful self".
But now he has become a focus of the police investigation.
Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah was a fervent supporter of his country's opposition leader who was jailed for homosexuality - illegal in Malaysia - only hours before flight MH370 vanished with 239 passengers and crew on board, the Sunday Mirror can reveal.
And in a new twist, it emerged that the pilot's wife and three children moved out of the family's home the day before the plane's disappearance.
Not sure what to believe about MH370? We debunk the myths here.
The revelations came after Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak yesterday confirmed the Boeing 777 jet was deliberately diverted from its planned route between his country's capital Kuala Lumpur and Beijing.
Investigators said trackers aboard the plane, which transmit its location to air traffic controllers, were disabled moments after take-off last Friday.
And the airliner could have flown on for seven hours after vanishing from radar over the South China Sea.
Police raided the pilot's home in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.
They spent two hours at the gated property and left carrying small bags believed to contain evidence.
They also found that the experienced pilot, who has worked for Malaysia Airlines since 1981, had built a Boeing 777 flight simulator inside.
Follow the latest developments in the search with our live blog here
But his friend Peter Chong insisted Capt Zaharie, 53, would be "the last person" to hijack the aircraft.
He told the Sunday Mirror: "I would trust that man with my life. He loves people and being involved in something like that would hurt people. I would not believe he was involved in any way at all. If I went on a plane and was allowed the choice of a pilot, I would choose Captain Zaharie."
Mr Chong last saw his friend a week before the jet vanished. He said the two had agreed to meet up this week and that the pilot had been "his normal, cheerful self".
But now he has become a focus of the police investigation.
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