MH17 conspiracy theories: What happened to downed Malaysia Airlines plane?

AN ASSASSINATION attempt gone wrong. A cover-up of monumental proportions. Conspiracy theories on the downed Malaysia Airlines flight are beginning to emerge.

WHENEVER there is a tragedy on such a scale as the downed Malaysia Airlines MH17 plane, there are bound to be conspiracy theories that follow as the world tries to understand and deal with the tragedy.

While there’s no doubt many are based simply on paranoia or speculation, they won’t be able to be dismissed until the black box is recovered and the world gets answers.

Here are six conspiracy theories about MH17, according to the Washington Post.

1. It was an HIV/AIDS cover up

The terrible news that the plane held prominent HIV/AIDS researchers sparked speculation that it was not a random target. One theory proposed that the attack was a cover-up for the so-called “man-made origins” of AIDS - which is another theory in itself. It has been pointed out that 16 years ago, AIDS patient advocate and World Health official Jonathan Mann was also killed in a plane crash that some still find suspicious.

2. It was an attempt to start WWIII

While it’s not yet clear exactly why the missile was fired at the plane, some believe it was an attempt to bring on the next world war.

“We can clearly see an attempted false flag to launch WWIII unfolding,” a commenter said on the website Before Its News. They also pointed to a Russian tweet predicting the deliberate downing of a plane full of people, as an instigation of a NATO invasion.

Скоро над Руиной будет сбит лайнер битком набитый невинными евро-туристами. Це явится поводом для официального приглашения НАТО. Так вижу.

— Вести КПСС (@vesti_kpss) June 17, 2014

Translation: “Soon will be shot down over the ruins of the liner packed full of innocent Euro-tourists. It will be the occasion for the official invitation to NATO. So I see.”

Though this theory doesn’t make sense, as killing innocent people is not a very stratigic move for NATO.

3. It was an assasination attempt on Putin

Russia’s Interfax news agency claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin was on board his personal jet and flying on the exact same route as MH17 at the same time. His plane was the same size and colour as the Malaysia Airlines flight.

The claim was debunked with the news that Putin’s plane hadn’t flown over the Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin descends from his plane.

4. The jet wasn’t actually shot down

A conspiracy blogger who’s popular on YouTube called DAHB0077 proposed that the plane was actually diverted into the area where it was blown up by explosives from onboard so it could appear to have been shot down. This could then be an excuse for an invasion.

He claims his suspicion was born from footage showing the plane exploding on the ground instead of in the air, but experts say this is actually possible upon the event of a mile-high missile strike.

The moments after MH17 was shot out of the sky over the Ukraine.

5. MH17 is MH370

They’re both Boeing 777s, from the same airline, with a commenter from the forum Above Top Secret stating: “It could be the MH370 rigged with explosives” that has only just reappeared after vanishing for months. Why would they do this? To start WWIII.

6. Many were already dead before the plane took off

This bizarre theory comes from a top pro-Russian rebel commander in eastern Ukraine.

The pro-rebel website Russkaya Vesna quoted Igor Girkin as saying he was told by people at the crash site that “a significant number of the bodies weren’t fresh,” adding that he was told they were drained of blood and reeked of decomposition.

Ultimately, these theories wont’ be true, but the hunt for answers about what really happened to flight MH17 will continue.

More: Conspiracy theories on MH370

Flowers and well wishes are place outside Kincoppal-Rose Bay School in Sydney for Sydney nun Sister Philomene Tiernan who was a victim of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 crash.