Bomb May Have Caused Russian Plane Crash

Even as Prime Minister David Cameron of the UK said it was likely that the Russian plane crash was caused by a bomb and President Barack Obama said it was certainly possible, Egyptian and Russian officials said evidence has yet t be found to substantiate this theory.

Metrojet Flight 9268 went down over the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt on Saturday and officials are still investigating the incident. US officials revealed that intelligence suggest the possibility that a bomb was planted on the Russian plane by ISIS or its affiliate groups. US officials said this was substantiated by chatter following the Russian plane crash. They added that the discussions monitored by officials were specific.

Intelligence also indicated that the bomb may have been brought aboard the plane with the help of someone at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport. However, there are some uncertainties in the intelligence.

President Obama said in a recent interview that they will work on ensuring US investigators and the intelligence community will find out the events leading to the crash before they give a clear announcement. The president added that it was “certainly possible” that a bomb was planted on the plane.

On the other hand, Cameron revealed that he cannot make a definite confirmation on the reason for the Russian plane crash. But, he said the possibility is sufficient for British citizens to refrain from flying from the Sharm el-Sheikh airport until the safety of the airport is ensured. Sharm el-Sheikh is a popular Egyptian tourist destination,

Egypt took charge of the investigation while Russian, Irish, French and German investigators are providing assistance. However, the United Kingdom and the United States are not a part of the investigation looking into forensic evidence at the scene. Evidence has yet to be found by investigators that the Russian plane crash was caused by a bomb, said Civil Aviation Minister Hossam Kamel of Egypt.

Egyptian officials said intelligence on a possible bomb was not shared by either the United Kingdom or the United States. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry of Egypt said while he does not reject this conclusion, they can evaluate it when information is shared. Shoukry added that the information is directly related to the investigation and its status since it happened in Egyptian territory. Shoukry also said it is expected for available information to be shared to the people concerned.

Bomb May Have Caused Russian Plane Crash - image credit: vancouversun.com

A statement from the Kremlin indicated that President Vladimir Putin of Russia said evaluations of the cause of the Russian plane crash should be based on information taken from the official investigation.

Nearly all the people on board the plane were Russian and the first funeral service for one of the victims was held recently. The service was for a Veliky Novgorod resident, according to the office of the city mayor. The memorial service for Nina Luschenko was held at the St. Boris and Gleb Church. Fifteen of the 224 victim of the plane crash were from the Novgorod region. Financial assistance was provided to the families of the victims by local and regional Novgorod officials.

A US official said ISIS may have been involved in the Russian plane crash as shown on monitoring on the internal messages of the terrorist group. An audio message from the Sinai branch of the group showed that the group was unyielding in its insistence that they brought down the plane.

Since the group did not offer any details about the incident, doubts were raised on the possibility that the group was responsible for the crash. The group typically announces how attacks are carried out along with who executed it. Russian and Egyptian officials said the claims of ISIS were not supported by any evidence.

Concerns that the Russian plane crash may have been caused by a bomb resulted to the stranding of thousands of tourists in Egypt. Prime Minister Cameron said in a news conference with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt around one million British tourists visit Sharm el-Sheikh each year. On Thursday, around 3,500 British citizens are scheduled to leave Sharm el-Sheikh. The prime minister said the main concern for the moment is to ensure the safe return of the tourists.

President Sisi revealed that the UK and Egypt have been working on enhancing airport security for the past ten months. Following the meeting, the office of the prime minister indicated that the two countries came to an agreement to put into place additional security measures and the resumption of flights into the UK by Friday.

The additional security measures will allow passengers to bring only carry-on luggage while checked baggage will be transported separately. Flights from the UK to Sharm el-Sheikh were suspended and citizens were advised to forego travel into or out of Sharm el-Sheikh airport for the moment. However, British authorities are working with Egyptians in ensuring the normalization of services at the soonest possible time.

Sharm el-Sheikh is an Egyptian beach resort located along the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Egyptian officials said the plane crashed around 300 kilometers north of the region. The region has been the battleground between Egyptian security forces and ISIS-associated groups. If the Russian plane crash was caused by a bomb, one possible motive is the airstrikes launched by Russia against ISIS in Syria in September.

Posted by James Fried on Thursday November 05 2015, 11:56 PM EDT. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0