Following the recommendation from FSB chief, Presdient Putin temporarily banned all Russian airlines from flying to Egypt. The decision is connected with the crash of the A321 airliner over Sinai that killed 224 people. If Isis did destroy the plane, Mr Putin would face a choice: either cease operations in Syria – all but unthinkable – or step up the campaign by sending more Russian ground forces, to show that Moscow is not to be pushed around.
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The situation has caused confusion, particularly at the crowded Egyptian airport. Also on Thursday, Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron said the jet had “more likely than not” been taken down by a bomb.
Sisi sought to use his trip to London to allay fears over the safety of tourists in Egypt after several nations suspended flights to and from Sharm el-Sheikh. Britain later said additional security measures would be in place, including only allowing passengers to carry hand baggage, while checked luggage will be transported separately.
Downing Street confirmed a team of British experts had gone to Sharm el-Sheikh about 10 months ago as part of a long-term approach to assessing security arrangements at the airport. “At the airport, the British ambassador was accosted by angry travelers demanding to know why they weren’t going home, but he refused to respond while the cameras were rolling”.
Thomas Cook Airlines, easyJet, privately-held Monarch, British Airways and Thomson operate direct flights between Britain and Sharm el-Sheikh. “We’re being left to deal with this ourselves”.
Standing in a crush of people waiting to pass through security, Terrance Mathurian, a British builder vacationing with his family, said hotel staff told them in the morning to head to the airport, following conflicting information.
He said current restrictions on hold luggage and the suspension of passenger flights intoSharm el-Sheikh would remain in place “until we’ve got longer-term assurances about the security at the airport”.
Meanwhile, Dutch carrier KLM announced it instructed its passengers leaving from the Egyptian capital of Cairo that they can only take hand luggage on the plane departing Friday.
There were no further details and it was unclear why such measures would be imposed at the Cairo airport.
Changes to screening passengers on flights coming into the USA were under discussion Friday at a meeting of senior representatives that included officials from the State Department, the Defense Department and the Central Intelligence Agency, as well as a White House counter-terrorism advisor, two sources told Fox News.
The Islamic State group, which has not generally pursued “spectacular” attacks outside its base in Syria, has claimed responsibility for bringing down the plane, but Russian and Egyptian officials say the claim was not credible.
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A US official briefed on the Metrojet crash told the AP earlier that intercepted communications by Islamic militants in the Sinai played a role in the tentative conclusion that the Islamic State group’s Sinai affiliate had planted an explosive on the flight.
