Russian Plane Brought Down Over Sinai By ISIS Bomb?

Experts examining the wreckage say damage indicates explosion inside the aircraft forced shrapnet to punch its way out through the fuselage (Image source: The Independent)

The latest British and U.S. intelligence on the Russian airliner downed over Sinai suggests that the crash on 30 October, 2015 was probably caused by a bomb planed on the plane by an agent of ISIS or an ISIS affiliate.

No formal conclusion has been reached by the international intelligence community and the Russia government has been very restrained in its comments despite mounting evidence throughout the week that the crash was not due to a technical fault on the aircraft.

The move to express an opinion on the cause ahead of conclusive evidence may be a response to hysterical suggestions in certain US 'liberal' news networks loyal to the warmonger Barack Obama that Russian incompetence was responsible for the crash and that Putin and The Kremlin propagandists would use it to justify a ground invasion of Syria to sped the destruction of US sponsored Islamist forces trying to overthrow the Assad regime in Syria.

It is well known that the Obama administration has been trying to provoke Russia into acts of armed aggression against western interests for several years, in the hope of being handed an excuse to launche a full scale war against Assad.

While British media are trying to spin the 'bomb theory' as disastrous for Putin's image as a strongman leader, the Russian President cannot be held responsible for security lapses in Egypt. The British government's line can be understood however when we recall that the catastrophe and its aftermath have filled news in the week Egypt's President Sisi is vistiting the UK to discuss trade and political cooperation.

Russian Plane 'May Well Have Been Brought Down By An Explosive Device'

"There is a definite feeling it was an explosive device planted in luggage or somewhere on the plane," an official, who is familiar with the latest U.S. intelligence analysis of the crash, told CNN. Other U.S. officials also told CNN that the analysis is pointing toward the cause being a bomb.

Based on the same intelligence, the U.S. belief is that ISIS or an ISIS-affiliated group is responsible for the attack, the official said.

There are currently about 15,000 British nationals in Sharm El-Sheikh and as evidence of a terrorist outrage at the local airport they may have to be evacuated by military transport planes as the airspace over Sinai is declared unsafe by commercial airline operators.


Reuters is reporting that the cause of crash was an "explosion" on board the aircraft. A source close to the Egyptian Civil Aviation regulator has said investigation of the black boxes suggests the cause of the crash is looking more like an explosion, but as yet it is unclear if it was caused by fuel or a bomb.

They also said that investigators are studying sand from the plane crash site for signs of a bomb attack

Additionally, a Egtyptian judiciary source in the investigation team told Egyptian newspaper Al Masry Alyoum,, that "the cause of the crash is an explosion at the engine. The reason of the explosion will be determined on the examination of the crash site and the test of the bodies."

He added that at the present stage investigation did indicate any terrorist involvement but it cannot be ruled out.

Flights to Sharm El-Sheikh cancelled by most European airlines which suggests their experts think the flight having been brought down by "explosive device" is a leading possibility.

A British government spokeswoman said: "While the investigation is still ongoing we cannot say categorically why the Russian jet crashed. But as more information has come to light we have become concerned that the plane may well have been brought down by an explosive device.

"In light of this, and as a precautionary measure, we have decided that flights due to leave Sharm for the UK this evening will be cancelled.

RELATED POSTS:

Back to Contents table

Russian Civilian Aircraft Downed In Sinai: Cui Bono?
Russians Say Aircraft Downed In Sinai Broke Up Due To 'Mechanical Impact'
Latest Posts

Elsewhere: [Boggart Blog]...[Little Nicky Machiavelli]...[Scribd]...[Wikinut] ... [ Boggart Abroad] ... [ Grenteeth Bites ] ... Ian Thorpe at Flickr ] ... [ Tumblr ] ... [ Ian at Minds ] ... [ The Origninal Boggart Blog] ... [ TSU ]

Russians Say Aircraft Downed In Sinai Broke Up Due To 'Mechanical Impact'

by Big Fact Hunt

Egyptian emergency services staff examine the wreckage of the Russian Airbus 321 (Picture: The Guardian

We previously commented on the restraint shown by the Russian government in responding to what looked from the outset like a terrorist attack on Russian civilians and contrasted it with the typically paranoid and gung ho response of the Obama administration to the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine. As news of that incident broke you may remember, 'President' Obama was on television claiming the USA had irrefutable evidence that pro Russian rebels were responsible with the complicity of The Kremlin.

On Sunday, Russian officials confirmed that the Russian passenger jet which crashed in the Sinai Peninsula killing all 224 people on board “broke apart in the air.” Although we cannot of course be sure, that does seem to suggest that the plane exploded.

You will note the absence of finger pointing, accusations, provocation and threats in that statement. If only Obama and his 'liberal' and black activist cronies had been capable of behaving in such a sensible and gentlemanly way, perhaps the world would not now be plunging towards armed conflict. Had the wannabe God King (failed) Of The Entire Universe And Everything Else Besides not been so besotted with the delusional idea that powers like Russia and China would meekly surrender to Washington's diktat, the record of America's first black president might not have been such an abysmal catalogue of failure and humiliation.

But enough of America though they may feature in this story again as the facts are revealed. Obviously, as far as Russia is concerned, uncovering what actually happened to the Airbus A321 as it was flying to St. Petersburg from the resort of Sharm El Shiek could have serious geopolitical consequences. Claims made by ISIS that they were responsible were initially dismissed because it is know the ISIS rebels operating in Sinai have nothing more powerful than Manpad surface to air missiles, which are not capable of hitting an aircraft flying at 31,000 feet. Now, as flight data suggests thei aircraft exploded and broke apart in mid air, the possibility that terrorists had planted a bomb on board looks to be a serious contender. If there’s any evidence to corroborate the notion that the aircraft was “destroyed” by IS Sinai, then militants in Egypt will soon find themselves waving their AK47s at other Russian jets, but next time the Russian jets will be shooting back jets will be shooting back.

On Monday, Kogalymavia (the airline that operated the Airbus) was insisting that neither pilot error or a problem with the plane itself could possibly explain "accident." The only explanation, according to the airline, is a “mechanical impact on the plane.” Here’s what the Wall Street Journal reported:

Russia’s Kogalymavia said human and technical factors weren’t responsible for the crash, which killed all 224 people on board.

The Airbus A321 was flying to St. Petersburg, Russia, from the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh in Sinai, a popular destination for Russian tourists.

After climbing gradually to more than 33,000 feet, the jet dropped some 6,000 feet in about 22 seconds, according to preliminary radar data posted Saturday by a commercial website. In roughly 60 seconds, the data show the plane’s speed dropping to about 100 miles an hour, slower than the forward speed needed to continue safe flight. According to the data, which hasn’t been confirmed by investigators, the plane had been cruising at roughly 460 miles an hour.

Russia's Sputnik News claims that any concerns about the condition of the plane (as allegedly voiced by the co-pilot prior to the flight) were unfounded.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg examines the possibility that an explosive device was smuggled onto the jet:

While the Islamic State’s Sinai affiliate claimed responsibility for shooting the plane down, Egyptian and Russian officials said those claims weren’t credible. Only the most sophisticated ground-based missiles can reach 31,000 feet (9,450 meters), the cruising altitude at which the Metrojet encountered problems and began to fall.

That doesn’t rule out a bomb like the one that detonated aboard Pan Am Flight 103 as it was carrying holiday travelers from London to New York on Dec. 21, 1988. A small explosive device smuggled aboard in checked luggage blew out the side of the Boeing Co. 747 and it came apart over Scotland, according to the U.K.’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch report.

So far, neither Egyptian nor Russian officials have said there’s any evidence of a bomb. Explosive devices cause telltale pitting on nearby metal and also leave chemical residue, according to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, so an examination of the wreckage should tell investigators whether or not that was the cause.

One area investigators will pay close attention is damage to the Metrojet A321 when its tail struck the runway while landing in Cairo in 2001. The plane was repaired and returned to service, according to Ascend Worldwide Ltd., a London-based company that gathers data for insurers.

Russian aviation watchdog, Rosaviatsia, says it's premature to come to any conclusions