The Russian plane which crashed in Egypt on Saturday “may well have been brought down by an explosive device”, Downing Street has said.
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In a telephone call, Putin told Cameron it was important that assessments of the cause of the crash be based on information from the official investigation, Interfax news agency reported.
But the official added that there has not been a formal conclusion reached by the United States intelligence community on the cause of the crash.
Earlier Belgian airline Jetair said it would send three planes to the Egyptian resort to repatriate tourists, but without their luggage.
“While the investigation is still ongoing we can not say categorically why the Russian jet crashed”, the prime minister’s office states.
The most definitive statement yet has now come from the British government, which announced Wednesday that they believe an explosive device likely took down the plane.
Peskov said Russian planes were continuing to fly to and from Sharm el‐Sheikh Airport in Egypt, despite Ireland and Britain suspending flights.
In addition, according to Russian investigators, no explosive residue has been found so far on the bodies of the 224 people who were on the Russian Airbus 321 when the airline was brought down shortly into its journey back to St Petersburg.
Starr’s report does not now say what evidence the USA has pointing to ISIS or an affiliate, and emphasizes that the intelligence is tentative.
Around 900,000 Britons travel to Egypt every year and at least two flights had been due to leave Sharm el-Sheikh for British airports later on Wednesday.
Although a local Islamic State affiliate has claimed responsibility for the crash, a few officials dismissed their claim, saying none of the militias on the Sinai Peninsula have the weapons to down the plane from its altitude.
Sharm el-Sheikh, where Flight 9268 began its journey, is a beach resort dotted with palm trees at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Their claim was not substantiated and Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said it “can’t be considered accurate”.
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The Sinai Province Group has killed hundreds of Egyptian soldiers and police since President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, as army chief, toppled former President Mohamed Morsi in 2013 in a military coup.
