Russian plane crash probe in final stage: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow’s official investigation into a crash of a Russian airliner in Egypt is in its final stage.

Putin made the remarks on Monday during a joint conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in the Turkish province of Antalya.

The Russian leader said investigators are close to wrapping up the study of materials related to last month’s accident.

Renzi, for his part, offered his condolences over the loss of life in the plane crash. He also told Putin that the two countries should have “unity, first and foremost, in the fight against terrorism.”

On October 31, an Airbus A321, run by Russia’s Kogalymavia airline, crashed in the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, leaving all the 224 people – mostly Russians – on board dead.

Although an affiliate of the Daesh terrorist group in Egypt claimed responsibility for the crash, Russia and Egypt have been hesitant to draw direct connections between the deadly incident and the militant group currently wreaking havoc in Syria and Iraq.

This is while many Western officials and experts say the plane was likely brought down by a bomb on board the aircraft.

Earlier this month, the analysis of the flight data and voice recorders suggested that the sound of a bomb explosion was heard in the final seconds of the recordings. Investigators say the sound was not consistent with that of an engine failure.

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