Russia confirms Metrojet A321 was downed as a the result of a bomb

Confirmation has now been made by the Russian authorities that the Metrojet A321 jet which was downed over the Sinai Peninsula on October 31st with the loss of all 224 passengers and crew on board did so as the result of a bomb. In a meeting at the Kremlin on the evening of Novenber 16th Alexander Bortnikov, the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service, told a meeting chaired by President Vladimir Putin that investigations completed had found evidence of a bomb.
“We have undertaken the study of personal belongings, luggage, parts of the aircraft that crashed in Egypt Oct. 31,” he said. “The results of the examination showed traces of [an] explosive of foreign production.
“According to our experts, an improvised explosive device with the equivalent of up to 1 kg of TNT exploded on board of A321 that led to the aircraft’s destruction in the air, which explains the fuselage parts spread at a great distance [from each other]. You can definitely say that this is a terrorist act.”
Putin has subsequently ordered a ramping up of the Russia’s bombing campaign against ISIS insurgents in Syria. “Our military aviation operation in Syria must not only continue, it should be strengthened so that the criminals realize that retribution is inevitable,” he confirmed.
This afternoon (Wednesday) Egyptian authorities confirmed that rumors surrounding the arrest of two ground crew were incorrect and that the search continues for two baggage handlers who are believed to have left a baggage-scanning machine unattended for a period of time. Meanwhile a security official who wished to remain anonymous confirmed that CCTV footage showed a baggage handler carrying a suitcase from an airport building to another man who was loading luggage onto the Metrojet A321.
The Metrojet Airbus 321 crashed in the Sinai Peninsula 23 minutes after taking off from Sharm al-Sheikh airport; it was bound for St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport.