Terrorism more likely caused EgyptAir crash: Cairo
Egypt’s aviation minister says an EgyptAir plane was more likely brought down over the Mediterranean Sea by a terror attack than a technical fault.
Speaking at a news conference in Cairo on Thursday, Sherif Fathy said that he did not want to draw conclusions, but the possibility of terrorism as cause of the Airbus A320 crash was “stronger” than technical problems.
The remarks came hours after the EgyptAir flight MS804 en route from Paris to Cairo disappeared from radar with six passengers and ten crew on board.
The aircraft was flying at 37,000 feet (11,300 meters) when it went missing over the eastern Mediterranean.
Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos said the plane had fallen 22,000 feet (6,700 meters) and made “sudden swerves” before dropping off radar.
The 56 passengers included 30 Egyptians, 15 French, two Iraqis, and one each from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Algeria, Chad, Portugal, Belgium, Britain and Canada.
Elsewhere in his comments, the Egyptian minister stressed that there was no security issues with the passengers, but further checks were underway.
Search efforts were focused near the Greek island of Karpathos, he added.
Meanwhile, the head of Russia’s FSB security service Alexander Bortnikov told RIA news agency that the plane crash was “in all likelihood” caused by a terrorist act.
Egypt’s chief prosecutor also stated that an “urgent investigation” was ordered into the incident.
Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail further noted that it was too early to rule out any explanation for the incident, including terrorism.
EgyptAir said wreckage from its passenger plane has been found.
"The Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation has just received an official letter from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that confirms the finding of wreckage of the missing aircraft No. MS 804," the flag carrier airline of Egypt said on its Twitter account.
Earlier, Greek defense sources had said that a Greek frigate discovered two large plastic floating objects in a sea area 370 kilometers (230 miles) south of the Greek island of Crete.
The two objects appeared to be pieces of plastic were spotted close to an area where a transponder signal was emitted earlier, the sources said.
Last October, the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for bombing an A321 plane belonging to Russia’s Metrojet that crashed into the Sinai Peninsula on its way from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, killing 224 passengers and crew.
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