( CNN ) -- One of the few mysteries to have light shed on it in the search for a missing Malaysia Airlines airliner has been the case of two passengers who boarded the flight with stolen passports . The news that two Flight 370 passengers were not who they claimed to be -- and had used stolen documents -- immediately raised speculation about foul play . Authorities have not ruled out terrorism , but at least where it concerns these two passengers , early evidence indicates they were , foremost , Iranian migrants . Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble identified the two as Pouri Nourmohammadi , 18 , and Delavar Syed Mohammad Reza , 29 . He said they entered Malaysia using valid Iranian passports , but they used stolen Austrian and Italian passports to board Flight 370 . It is not uncommon for Iranians to go to Southeast Asia , particularly Malaysia , Phil Robertson , deputy director of the Asia Division of Human Rights Watch , told CNN . After the violent 2009-2010 election protests in Iran , many Iranians fled for Malaysia , where Middle Easterners , in most cases , can travel without a visa , Robertson said . `` A significant number of asylum-seekers from Iran did end up in Malaysia , '' he said . Acquiring stolen or altered passports , `` unfortunately , is much easier than most people would think , '' and quite common , Robertson said . A European passport would be a great advantage for a migrant wanting to leave Southeast Asia . Authorities say the passports -- one Austrian , the other Italian -- were stolen in Thailand , which is a known hub of the stolen passport industry . `` Thailand remains a robust venue for the sale of high-quality false passports ( including altered stolen passports ) and other supporting documentation , '' said Paul Quaglia , who has been working in the region as a security and risk analyst for 14 years . According to Thai police , an Iranian man by the name of Kazem Ali bought one-way tickets for the two men , describing them as friends who wanted to return home to Europe . While Ali made the initial booking by telephone , either Ali or someone acting on his behalf paid for the tickets in cash , according to police . Interpol 's Noble said the evidence in the case of the stolen passports points to a concern quite different from terrorism : `` If you read what the head of Malaysia police said recently , about [ Nourmohammadi ] ... wanting to travel to Frankfurt , Germany , to be with his mother , '' he said , `` [ this ] is part of a human smuggling issue and not a terrorist issue , '' Noble said . Human smuggling , which usually is linked to abuses such as forced labor or sex slavery , is a problem in Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries . The suggestion is not that Reza and Nourmohammadi were being exploited , but that there exists in Malaysia a criminal infrastructure for smuggling people .
Thailand is a favored destination for people fleeing Thailand . It is a destination that does not require visas for most Iranians . the Asia Division of Human Rights Watch official : It is relatively easy to get a stolen passport . The passports were stolen in Malaysia , a hub for high-quality fake documents .