US, UK Intelligence Claim IS Bomb Plot In Russian Plane Crash

The USA and UK have intercepted information, which suggests that bomb might have been carried on the Russian plane Metrojet Airbus A321, which crashed last Saturday at Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

The information was disclosed following a joint US-British intelligence operation, which "used satellites to uncover electronic communications" between Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria and Egypt, various media reported today.

"The tone and content of the messages convinced analysts a passenger or a member of the airport ground staff have carried a bomb on board. The UK authorities had grounded flights to the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh after data intercepted by their intelligence service pointed to an upcoming terrorist attack in Egypt.

All flights from Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport to the United Kingdom were suspended, following the incident, the Office of the UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced Wednesday.

Howver, the british authorities have not ruled out the possibility of technical fault having caused the crash but believe that it is most unlikely in this case, stating someone at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport might have helped to get a bomb onto the plane.

Russia said that no theory on the flight crash can be excluded, and it was too early to point to one specific version of events. Egyptian Civil Aviation Minister Hossam Kamel too said that still evidence has not been found to support the theory that a bomb caused the plane to crash.

The Russian aircraft was flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg last Saturday when it crashed in the Sinai desert, killing all 224 people on board. The IS (IS) militants have claimed responsibility for the disaster, but the idea has been played down by Russia and Egypt, which is keen to protect its valuable tourism industry.