Those suspected of shooting down the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014 will be prosecuted in a Dutch court.



All 298 people on board were killed, including Blackpool man Glenn Thomas, when the plane was downed in eastern Ukraine. The tally included people from 17 countries - 196 of the victims were Dutch.

The Dutch foreign ministry has confirmed it will pursue the prosecutions but also said it would continue with international co-operation over the case.

The decision follows attempts, which were blocked by Russia in 2015, to set up an international court over the incident.

The Netherlands' foreign ministry said the suspects, who have not yet been named, will be tried under Dutch law.

Malaysia's minister of transport, Liow Tiong Lai, said: "While we cannot take away the grief of the families and loved ones of MH17 passengers and crew, we will do everything possible to ensure justice is done independently, fairly and transparently. We will not rest until all the facts are known and justice is served."

In October 2015 the Dutch Safety Board concluded that the plane was downed by a Russian-made rocket, and in September 2016 investigators said the rocket was fired from territory held by pro-Russia separatists.

The investigation concluded the plane was shot down from the ground by a Buk missile moved into Ukraine from Russia.

It said it was unclear whether soldiers had been ordered to fire the missile or had acted independently.

The Russian foreign ministry at the time described the investigation as "biased and politically motivated", and said its findings were "dreamt up".

Foreign minister Bert Koenders said on Wednesday that the Dutch-led investigative team, which includes Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and Ukraine, will continue to operate during the "prosecution phase".

The Boeing 777 was hit during a flight between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur on 17 July 2014, spreading wreckage over several miles of Ukraine.