US Intelligence: Russian Jet Likely Downed by ’ISIS’, UK Suspends Sharm Flights
Local Editor
The latest US intelligence suggests that the crash of Metrojet Flight 9268 was most likely caused by a bomb on the plane planted by the "ISIS" group or its affiliate, a US official familiar with the matter told CNN on Wednesday.
The official stressed that there has not been a formal conclusion reached by the US intelligence community. "There is a definite feeling it was an explosive device planted in luggage or somewhere on the plane," the official said.
The assessment was reached, the official added, by looking back at intelligence reports that had been gathered before Saturday's plane crash and intelligence gathered since then. The United States did not have credible or verified intelligence of a specific threat prior to the crash, however, the official said, prior to the incident, "there had been additional activity in Sinai that had caught our attention."
Another US official said the intelligence regarding the "ISIS" is in part based on monitoring of internal messages of the extremist group. Those messages are separate from public "ISIS" claims of responsibility, that official said.
Earlier in the day, Britain said it was concerned the airliner may have been downed by a bomb, as the terrorist group insisted it caused the disaster.
London's announcement came as Egyptian officials said investigators probing the black boxes had extracted the data from one for analysis, but the other had been damaged and required a lot of work.
"While the investigation is still ongoing we cannot say categorically why the Russian jet crashed," British Prime Minister David Cameron's office said.
"But as more information has come to light, we have become concerned that the plane may well have been brought down by an explosive device."
Britain temporarily suspended flights from Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. It was from there that the Metrojet Airbus A-321 that crashed killing all 224 people on board took off on Saturday.
"We recognize that this information may cause concern for those in Sharm and indeed for those planning to travel to Sharm in the coming days," Downing Street said, adding that Cameron would hold an emergency cabinet meeting on the issue later Wednesday.
In Dublin, the Irish Aviation Authority told the country's airlines not to fly to Sharm el-Sheikh or over the Sinai "until further notice."
Both Russia and Egypt doubted the claim, but officials say they cannot rule out anything and that investigation of the black boxes may take weeks or even months.
Cameron's office said he and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi agreed in a phone call Tuesday on the need for tight security at Sharm el-Sheikh airport.
Cameron and Sisi "agreed it was important not to pre-judge the investigation", the British statement said.
They "noted that there was still uncertainty about the cause of the crash and agreed it would be prudent to ensure the tightest possible security arrangements at Sharm el-Sheikh airport as a precautionary measure."
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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