Neil MacFarquhar of the New York Times writes that “after hedging for 17 days,” the Russians have confirmed what everyone suspected. Namely that the Metrojet 9268 that crashed in the Sinai 18 days ago was:
… downed by a bomb. “We can say definitely that this was a terrorist act,” Alexander V. Bortnikov, the head of the Federal Security Service, or F.S.B., said in remarks to Russia’s Security Council Monday night that were broadcast nationally on Tuesday morning.
An “improvised explosive device” detonated soon after the plane took off from the resort city of Sharm el Sheikh, he said, adding that “the plane disintegrated in midair, which explains the widely scattered fuselage pieces.”
An “improvised explosive device” detonated soon after the plane took off from the resort city of Sharm el Sheikh, he said, adding that “the plane disintegrated in midair, which explains the widely scattered fuselage pieces.”
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack and while Bortnikov “would not say definitively that the group was responsible …”
Russia has offered $50 million for any information leading to the capture of those who carried out the attack, and {Vladimir] Putin vowed to track them down. “We will search for them everywhere, no matter where they are hiding,” he said at a meeting with his security council that was broadcast on national television. “We will find them in any place on the planet and will punish them.”
Reuters, meanwhile, is reporting:
Two employees of Egypt’s Sharm al-Sheikh airport have been detained for questioning over the crash of a Russian airliner that killed all 224 people aboard, two security officials and an airport employee said on Tuesday.
“Seventeen people are being held; two of them are suspected of helping whoever planted the bomb on the plane at Sharm al-Sheikh airport,” said one of the security officials, both of whom declined to be named.
“Seventeen people are being held; two of them are suspected of helping whoever planted the bomb on the plane at Sharm al-Sheikh airport,” said one of the security officials, both of whom declined to be named.
This is a hard blow to the Egyptian tourist industry, which was, no doubt, at least something of the objective. There is much madness in how ISIS operates. But plenty of method, also.
