Originally Posted by stanley11
...major foul up in the authorities to flag out the passport
Whether this will have any bearing on the events or not (AND if the information proves to be true), I agree with the comments above. The immigration officers at KLIA are not the brightest, and on exit their main concern is to find that magical entry stamp in the passport. A non-roundeye holding an Italian passport with an Italian sounding name would probably trigger some suspicion, but someone with a middle-eastern or even fairer south Asian complexion would be given just a passing glance if the computer does not give any warning. Whether the passport would have been flagged as stolen and invalid depends on the Italian authorites circulating the information, then the Malaysian authorities entering that information into their immigration system. As we know, the bureaucracies of neither fine lands are known for their speed and efficiency...
Moreover Italian passport holders need a valid visa to enter China, so there had to be (a real or forged) visa sticker in that passport for whoever was using that passport to be permitted t board, that would have been checked together with the passport at the check-in counter. Now that would indicate quite a degree of determination and preparation, either to get in to China under a false identity (not exactly a risk-free endeavor), or to simply board this flight. I'm sure this is being looked into as we post.