If this holds up as accurate, this would be the worst terrorist attack since 9/11/01. ISIS is being blamed…
(Via CNN) The latest U.S. intelligence suggests that the crash of Metrojet Flight 9268 was most likely caused by a bomb on the plane planted by ISIS or an ISIS affiliate, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.
The official stressed that there has not been a formal conclusion reached by the U.S. intelligence community. “There is a definite feeling it was an explosive device planted in luggage or somewhere on the plane,” the official told CNN’s Barbara Starr.
Ireland is suspending all flights to and from Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, until further notice, according to a statement from the Irish Aviation Authority. The move comes in the wake of concerns an explosive device may have caused Saturday’s crash of a Russian airliner that flew out of the resort city on the Sinai Peninsula. The United Kingdom took similar measures earlier Wednesday.
US official: latest intel suggests Russian passenger jet crash most likely caused by bomb on the plane planted by ISIS or ISIS affiliate
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 4, 2015
EARLIER – A passenger plane that crashed on the Sinai peninsula may have been brought down by a bomb, the British Prime Minister’s office said Wednesday.
That possibility prompted British authorities to delay flights from Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the city from which the Russian flight departed, to the United Kingdom, the British Prime Minister’s office said.
Metrojet Flight 9268 crashed Saturday after breaking apart in mid-air, killing all 224 people on board.
“While the investigation is still ongoing we cannot say categorically why the Russian jet crashed,” the Prime Minister’s office said. “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.”
The delay of “flights due to leave Sharm for the UK this evening” is precautionary, to allow UK aviation experts to assess security arrangements at Sharm el-Sheikh’s airport, Cameron’s office said in its statement. Those experts have already departed the UK and are on their way to Egypt. (read more)
if this latest intel proves accurate, this would be biggest (successful) terrorist attack on a plane since 9/11.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 4, 2015