Officials suspect that an EgyptAir mechanic planted a bomb on the Russia-bound plane that crashed over north Egypt in October, killing 224 people on board.
The mechanic’s cousin allegedly joined the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) in Syria. Authorities also detained “two airport policemen and a baggage handler suspected of helping him put the bomb on board.”
“After learning that one of its members had a relative that worked at the airport, Islamic State delivered a bomb in a handbag to that person,” one anonymous source told Reuters. “He was told to not ask any questions and get the bomb on the plane.”
Another source mentioned officials believe the policemen turned a “blind eye” to the mechanic at security, but it is possible “that they were just not doing their jobs properly.”
The Metrojet Airbus A321-200 crashed on October 31, only 23 minutes after takeoff, over the Sinai at 31,000 feet.
A few weeks later, Fox News revealed officials arrested seventeen airport employees. Video supposedly shows “a baggage handler carrying a suitcase from an airport building to another man, who was loading luggage onto the plane.”
FSB head Alexander Bortnikov informed “Russian President Vladimir Putin that a homemade explosive device blew up on the plane shortly after takeoff.” Russians discovered “traces of explosives” at the crash site. He also said the device used “more than two pounds of TNT, ‘which caused the plane to break up in the air, which explains why the fuselage was scattered over such a large territory. I can certainly say that this was a terrorist act.'”
The Islamic State-linked organization Wilayat Sinai–formerly known as Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis–posted a statement on social media, declaring, “The fighters of the Islamic State were able to down a Russian plane over Sinai province that was carrying over 220 Russian crusaders. They were all killed, thanks be to God.”
Russian propaganda outlets reported the injuries passengers suffered point to an explosion on the plane.
“A large number of body parts may indicate that a powerful explosion took place aboard the plane before it hit the ground,” an Egyptian forensic expert told Sputnik.
President Barack Obama admitted that it was a “possibility” a bomb brought down the plane, but one U.S. source said he is “99.9% certain” a bomb caused the crash.
Egyptian officials do not publicly acknowledge terrorism as a potential faction in the crash. On December 14, the government insisted they had not found evidence of terrorism in the crash.
“The technical investigative committee has so far not found anything indicating any illegal intervention or terrorist action,” declared the Civil Aviation Ministry.
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