Egypt: No evidence of terrorism in crash

Since last October 31st, when the Russian plane covering the route between Sharm El Sheikh and St. Petersburg disintegrated in the air, killing its 224 occupants, Egypt insisted on the need to wait for completion of investigations to be sure of the causes of the accident.

Russian Federation said the plane was brought down by a bomb, and Islamic State claimed responsibility.

ISIS also posted photos of passports, alleging they belonged to passengers killed in the crash, though there was no verification to support their claims.

“Investigation carried out on all objects [personal belongings of passengers, baggage and parts of the aircraft] showed traces of foreign-made explosives”, Bortnikov said at the time. The most vulnerable locations include the fuel line, the cockpit or anywhere close to the fuselage skin.

No reports referring to the state of the bodies found has been issued by the Russian authorities so far.

Russian Federation and Britain have stopped all flights to Sharm el-Sheikh until their concerns about security at the resort’s worldwide airport are resolved.

“I can remind you of the conclusion of our experts from the special services, who came to the conclusion that it was a terrorist action”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday.

“The global committee that investigates the Russian plane crash is an independent committee formed according to Annex 13 of the worldwide Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and the Egyptian government does not interfere in its work, investigation procedures or released statements”, the statement read.

On November 17, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin announced that Russian investigators had found evidence of a bomb on board, and vowed to punish the attackers. Was the crash the direct result of a terrorist attack, or was it a human/technical failure?