UK: ISIL terrorists possibly behind Russian passenger plane crash
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond says there is a “significant possibility” that ISIL terrorists brought down the Russian passenger jetliner last Saturday.
Hammond said the assessment is based on sensitive intelligence. The top British diplomat made the comments while he was asked how to rescue the Britons stranded on Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Britain has already suspended all flights to and from Sharm el-Sheikh since Wednesday evening. In a statement, Downing Street said the measure was aimed to allow British experts to assess security.
The British authorities have said that no UK bound Aircraft will leave Sharm el-Sheikh until the intelligence services are sure it is safe. Hammond has, however, indicated that flights to rescue the stranded tourists could start on Friday. He said the British authorities are working with their Egyptian counterparts and the airlines to introduce emergency measures to bring British tourists safely and securely back to the UK.
“These are special additional measures, not necessarily something that we could do on a sustainable basis but something that we will put in as a short term special measure to get back home the people who are there now,” Hammond said.
Meanwhile, Russian media has criticized Britain’s decision as “premature” saying flights suspension underlines the sensitivity of the Kremlin’s decision to launch airstrikes against terrorists in Syria.
The Russian Airbus 321 bound for St Petersburg from Sharm el-Sheikh came down in Egypt's restive Sinai desert leaving all 224 people on board dead.
Experts are still analyzing the black boxes of the ill-fated airliner. They say the probe could take several months to finish if the recordings are damaged. The airline which operated the flight insists the aircraft was in excellent condition and only an external source could have brought it down.
On Monday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi rejected a claim by a Daesh-affiliated group that it downed the Russian airliner.
A new ISIL video posted online purportedly shows a Russian-speaking terrorist praising his “Sinai brothers” for “taking down” a Russian passenger jet and threatening more attacks. But both Russia and Egypt say the group doesn’t possess the means to shoot down a plane.
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