Netherlands: We will bring MH17 killers to justice here

The people responsible for shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 will be prosecuted by courts in the Netherlands, that country’s foreign ministry said Tuesday.

A total of 298 people from 17 countries died when the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was brought down in Eastern Ukraine in July 2014.

Officials have not identified any suspects.

The five countries – Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine – comprising the Joint Investigation Team decided any prosecutions would take place in a Dutch court, Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said.

“The ongoing criminal investigation enjoys virtually unanimous support from the international community,” Koenders said. “MH17 has shown how a shared tragedy can lead to close international cooperation and a determination to see that justice is done.”

A 2016 report from the group concluded that MH17 was downed by a Buk missile brought in from Russia and fired from a Ukrainian village under the control of pro-Russian separatists.

Russia, which has repeatedly denied involvement in the downing of the Boeing 777, vetoed a 2015 UN Security Council resolution that would have created an international tribunal to prosecute those responsible.

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British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson expressed support for the decision, calling it “a critical step in holding to account those responsible for this tragedy.”

“The UK offers its full support and cooperation towards the prosecution process, and I urge all other states to do the same as laid out in UN Security Council Resolution 2166,” Johnson added.

Debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 sits in a field at the crash site in Hrabove, Ukraine, on September 9, 2014. The Boeing 777 was shot down July 17, 2014, over Ukrainian territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists. All 298 people on board were killed. In an October 2015 report, Dutch investigators found the flight was shot down by a warhead that fit a Buk rocket, referring to Russian technology, Dutch Safety Board Chairman Tjibbe Joustra said.

Australian and Dutch experts examine the area of the crash on August 3, 2014.

A woman walks with her bicycle near the crash site on August 2, 2014.

Police secure a refrigerated train loaded with bodies of passengers from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 as it arrives in a Kharkiv, Ukraine, factory on July 22, 2014.

A pro-Russian rebel passes wreckage from the crashed jet near Hrabove on Monday, July 21, 2014.

Wreckage from the jet lies in grass near Hrabove on July 21, 2014.

A man covers his face with a rag as members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Dutch National Forensic Investigations Team inspect bodies in a refrigerated train near the crash site in eastern Ukraine on July 21, 2014.

Emergency workers carry a victim's body in a bag at the crash site on July 21, 2014.

A piece of the plane lies in the grass in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region on July 21, 2014.

An armed pro-Russian rebel stands guard next to a refrigerated train loaded with bodies in Torez, Ukraine, on Sunday, July 20, 2014.

Ukrainian State Emergency Service employees sort through debris on July 20, 2014, as they work to locate the deceased.

A woman covers her mouth with a piece of fabric July 20, 2014, to ward off smells from railway cars that reportedly contained passengers' bodies.

Toys and flowers sit on the charred fuselage of the jet as a memorial on July 20, 2014.

People search a wheat field for remains in the area of the crash site on July 20, 2014.

A woman walks among charred debris at the crash site on July 20, 2014.

Emergency workers load the body of a victim onto a truck at the crash site on Saturday, July 19, 2014.

Emergency workers carry the body of a victim at the crash site on July 19, 2014.

A large piece of the main cabin is under guard at the crash site on July 19, 2014.

Victims' bodies are placed by the side of the road on July 19, 2014, as recovery efforts continue at the crash site. International officials lament the lack of a secured perimeter.

A man looks through the debris at the crash site on July 19, 2014.

An envelope bearing the Malaysia Airlines logo is seen at the crash site on July 19, 2014.

Armed rebels walk past large pieces of the Boeing 777 on July 19, 2014.

Ukrainian rescue workers walk through a wheat field with a stretcher as they collect the bodies of victims on July 19, 2014.

A woman looks at wreckage on July 19, 2014.

Pro-Russian rebels stand guard as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe delegation arrives at the crash site on Friday, July 18, 2014.

A woman walks through the debris field on July 18, 2014.

Pro-Russian rebels stand guard at the crash site.

Wreckage from Flight 17 lies in a field in Shaktarsk, Ukraine, on July 18, 2014.

A man covers a body with a plastic sheet near the crash site on July 18, 2014. The passengers and crew hailed from all over the world, including Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Germany and Canada.

A diver searches for the jet's flight data recorders on July 18, 2014.

Coal miners search the crash site.

Wreckage from the Boeing 777 lies on the ground July 18, 2014.

People search for bodies of passengers on July 18, 2014.

A woman walks past a body covered with a plastic sheet near the crash site July 18, 2014.

Belongings of passengers lie in the grass on July 18, 2014.

People inspect the crash site on Thursday, July 17, 2014.

People walk amid the debris at the site of the crash.

Debris smoulders in a field near the Russian border.

Fire engines arrive at the crash site.

A man stands next to wreckage.

Debris from the crashed jet lies in a field in Ukraine.

Family members of those aboard Flight 17 leave Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam, Netherlands.

A large piece of the plane lies on the ground.

Luggage from the flight sits in a field at the crash site.

A couple walks to the location at Schiphol Airport where more information would be given regarding the flight.

Flight arrivals are listed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia.

Debris from the Boeing 777, pictured on July 17, 2014.

A man inspects debris from the plane.

Wreckage from the plane is seen on July 17, 2014.

A man talks with security at Schiphol Airport on July 17, 2014.

Wreckage burns in Ukraine.

A man stands next to the wreckage of the airliner.

People inspect a piece of wreckage believed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. This image was posted to Twitter.

People inspect a piece of wreckage believed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. This image was posted to Twitter.

A piece of wreckage believed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. This image was posted to Twitter.

A piece of wreckage believed to be from MH17. This image was posted to Twitter.

An airsickness bag believed to be from MH17. This image was posted to Twitter.

A piece of wreckage believed to be from MH17. This image was posted to Twitter.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

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Australia Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop applauded the decision.

“The JIT’s decision to support a Dutch national prosecution will ensure that results from the investigation are taken into account and that justice for the victims and their families, including the 38 people who called Australia home, is delivered,” Turnbull and Bishop said in their statement.

Most of the 283 passengers on the flight were Dutch.

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CNN’s Samantha Beech contributed to this report.