An Islamist terror group linked to the so-called Islamic State have claimed they downed the aircraft, a claim initially rejected by Russian Federation and Egypt.
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All 224 people on board were killed in what the militants described as revenge for Russian air strikes in Syria that began more than a month ago. Those messages are separate from public ISIS claims of responsibility, the official said.
Shoukry also said countries that have suspended flights to Sharm el-Sheikh – which include the United Kingdom and Russian Federation, though the foreign minister did not specifically name them – did not share the intelligence that drove their decisions with Cairo. “They believe that what Daesh (Islamic State) is saying has a good chance of being credible”.
“They were clearly celebrating”, NBC Nightly News quoted a USA official as saying.
Egyptian Aviation Minister Hossam Kamal and the head of the Egypt-led investigation into the disaster are due to hold their first news conference at 1500 GMT on Saturday, although the government warned it could be delayed.
Black box of the Metrojet plane that crashed in the Sinai point to a bomb attack, media reported today. The investigator ruled out engine failure, it added.
There have been reports that security agencies intercepted communications between militants in Sinai suggesting there was a bomb on the plane. Up until now, Russian officials have criticized Britain and the USA for even suggesting that the plane may have been brought down by a bomb.
“This is a hugely complex operation”, a Downing Street spokesperson said afterwards.
MONTAGNE: And, Corey, one reason that Russian Federation was said or thought to be reluctant to acknowledge that the plane could’ve been brought down by a bomb is that it wouldn’t want to raise the possibility that this could be an act of revenge for Russian Federation – its bombing campaign in Syria.
As a result, only 115 of the 247 passengers booked on the plane took the flight Friday, with the rest refusing to leave without their check-in bags, security officials at the Cairo airport told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. “But it is certainly possible that there was a bomb on board”.
Passengers from an Easy Jet flight to Britain which got cancelled wait at the airport of the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh till they get another announcement.
However, on Friday morning EasyJet revealed most of their rescue flights had been halted.
President Vladimir Putin ordered the suspension of all Russian passenger flights to Egypt on Friday until the cause of a deadly plane crash at the weekend was established.
Though the investigation is ongoing, President Barack Obama has said the U.S.is taking “very seriously” the possibility that a bomb caused the crash.
Maya Lomidze, acting director of the Russian Association of Tour Operators, said 46 empty Russian planes were expected to be sent to Egypt on Saturday to bring tourists home and another 47 flights were planned for Sunday.
Putin supported the Russian intelligence chief’s recommendation, his spokesman said. “Above all, this concerns tourist routes”.
British media reported on Saturday that a British passenger jet came close to being hit by a rocket as it came in to land at Sharm al-Sheikh in August, although the British government said it had concluded the incident was part of routine Egyptian military exercises, not a deliberate attack.
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The Russian tourist agency says there are as many as 40,000 to 45,000 Russian tourists in Egypt right now.
