KUALA LUMPUR, March 20 — Officials from the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) are finally to play an active role in the global search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 as Putrajaya seeks to recover information erased by the pilot that may sharpen its investigations.

News agency the Associated Press cited an unnamed US official saying Malaysia’s government has requested the FBI’s help in analysing electronic files deleted last month from the flight simulator built by Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, the senior pilot for MH370 who vanished alongside 238 others onboard 12 days ago.

The report added that the FBI has been provided the electronic data for analysis.

Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein had yesterday said Malaysia has brought in local and international experts to examine the simulator, and added that the “forensic work” to retrieve it was underway.

Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the data log was cleared on February 3, and managed to recover partial material of some “games”. Experts were looking to retrieve the rest.

The spotlight on 53-year-old Zaharie and his co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27, was renewed after the initial flood of leads on the Boeing 777-200’s whereabouts are slowing to a trickle.

Zaharie, who is linked by marriage to Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, has raised further suspicion after police discovered “some data” from the simulator had been erased.

The New York Times also reported that Malaysian authorities have kept the FBI at length from Day 1 of the MAS jet, consigning them to the backseat in the probe and angering US lawmakers who want their intelligence office to take the leading role.

The US daily reported the small team of FBI agents have only been briefed on the progress of the search and that it was unknown if American law enforcement officials had been asked to help in other areas of investigation.

But Hishammuddin has denied reports that Malaysia had discouraged the FBI from sending more personnel to back up its existing team here.

“I have been working with them. It’s up to the FBI to tell us if they need more experts to help because it’s not for us to know what they have.”