No criminal action proof found in Russia plane crash: Egypt
Egypt has disputed Russia’s account that a bomb led to the crash of a Russian passenger plane in the restive Sinai Peninsula, saying its probe has yet to find any evidence of criminal action.
The Egyptian cabinet, which held its weekly meeting in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Tuesday, where an Airbus A321, run by Russia’s Kogalymavia airline, crashed on October 31, refrained from endorsing Moscow’s conclusions.
Earlier in the day, the Russian federal security service announced that a bomb had gone off on the Russian aircraft, bringing the plane down. All of the plane’s 224 passengers – mostly Russians – were killed in the incident.
Immediately after the October crash, an affiliate of the Daesh terrorist group in Egypt claimed responsibility. However, Russian officials have cast doubt on the account that the incident was a terrorist act – until now.
The Egyptian prime minister and several members of the government, who attended a Tuesday news conference, did not confirm Russia’s announcement.
"The Egyptian authorities affirm they will take into consideration the investigations that the Russian side reached ... in the comprehensive investigation," Premier Sherif Ismail said.
Egyptian Interior Minister Magid Abdel Ghaffar also vowed to bring to justice culprits if a security lapse is found out to be behind the deadly crash.
"Regarding Sharm al-Sheikh airport, when we discover that there have been security lapses action will be taken, but up to now we have no information about lapses in the search and security procedures," he said.
Security has been increased at all airports across Egypt and now all bags, passengers and staff are searched while regular security sweeps are also conducted.
Media reports on Tuesday quoted security officials as saying that two employees of Egypt's Sharm al-Sheikh airport were detained for questioning over the crash. However, Abdel Ghaffar rejected the reports, saying that the news “is incorrect, it was probably reported because of the strict inspection checks that all airport workers are undergoing.”
Egyptian authorities are also allowing foreign experts to review security measures at the North African country’s airports to make sure they met their standards.
Egypt’s civil aviation and interior ministers have said all scenarios for the cause of the October 31 crash are under investigation.
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