Moscow, Cairo refute Daesh claim on downing Russian plane

Moscow and Cairo have denied claims by the Daesh Takfiri group's Egyptian affiliate to have downed a Russian aircraft that crashed in North Sinai with more than 200 passengers on board.

“Now in various media there is assorted information that the Russian passenger (plane)... was supposedly shot down by an anti-aircraft missile, fired by terrorists. This information can’t be considered accurate,” Russian Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov said on Saturday.

“We are in close contact with our Egyptian colleagues and aviation authorities in the country. At present, they have no information that would confirm such insinuations,” he added.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Samir, Egypt’s army spokesman, also refuted the claim by the Takfiri group, saying that “the army sees no authenticity” to the terrorists claims or videos.

“They can put out whatever statements they want but there is no proof at this point that terrorists were responsible for this plane crash” he said.

“We will know the true reasons when the civil aviation authority in coordination with Russian authorities completes its investigation,” he added.

The militants from Velayat Sinai (Sinai Province), previously known as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, had circulated a statement on social media claiming responsibility for the plane crash, saying it brought down the aircraft in revenge for Russian air strikes against Takfiri terrorists in Syria. The statement did not provide any details on how the aircraft had been downed. Velayat Sinai pledged allegiance to the Daesh Takfiri group in November 2014. 

Russia launched its air campaign against Daesh Takfiris in Syria on September 30 upon a request from Damascus.

The Airbus A-321 chartered by Russian airline Kogalymavia crashed in a mountainous part of Sinai Peninsula Saturday. The aircraft was carrying 217 passengers and seven crew members.

According to the latest report by Russia’s Ria Novosti news agency, the bodies of 100 passengers, including five children, together with one of the aircraft’s flight recorders had been found.

The Russian Investigative Committee’s main investigations department has opened a criminal case into the crash under Russian transport laws.

Security sources in North Sinai said that an initial examination of the site of the incident showed that the Russian passenger plane had crashed due to a technical fault.

The sources said that the plane fell vertically. Large parts of the fuselage burned in the process.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed Russian emergency officials to fly immediately to the site of the plane crash to determine the cause of the disaster.

Putin also ordered the government to set up a special commission “due to the catastrophe of Kogalymavia company plane in Egypt.”

The Kremlin press service said on Saturday that Putin has declared November 1 a national day of mourning for the tragedy.

Russian airline Kogalymavia has dismissed the possibility of a human error being behind the crash, adding that the pilot had 12,000 hours flying experience and that the plane had been fully serviced.

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