The startling comments appeared in newspaper the Moskovsky Komsomolets, where they were attributed to Russian intelligence.
The source claimed: "Flight MH370 Malaysia Airlines missing on March 8 with 239 passengers was hijacked.
"Pilots are not guilty; the plane was hijacked by unknown terrorists.
"We know that the name of the terrorist who gave instructions to pilots is 'Hitch.'
"The plane is in Afghanistan not far from Kandahar near the border with Pakistan."
Unsurprisingly, the comments have not been confirmed by authorities in Malaysia - and, with investigators sure that the 'pings' picked up last week in the Indian Ocean were from the plane's black box flight recorder, it seems unlikely there is any weight to the claims.
Last week the Prime Minister of Australia, Tony Abbott, told the press: "We have very much narrowed down the search area and we are very confident the signals are from the black box."
The signals - which are soon expected to fade - will eventually allow investigators to determine an exact resting place for the downed Boeing 777, which was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew when it disappeared on 8th March.
They will then send down a submersible vehicle to plumb the depths of the ocean for the black box.