Russia’s security service confirmed suspicions on Tuesday that a bomb was the cause of a crash that killed all 224 people aboard a Russian passenger airliner flying over the Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
“One can unequivocally say that it was a terrorist act,” the head of Russia’s security service (FSB), Alexander Bortnikov, said during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
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"According to an analysis by our specialists, a homemade bomb containing up to one kilogram of dynamite detonated during the flight, causing the plane to break up in mid air, which explains why parts of the fuselage were spread over such a large distance," Bortnikov added.
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Reuters has reported that two employees of the Egyptian Sharm el Sheikh airport are being held in connection with Russian plane crash.
Putin said the crash was one of the bloodiest attacks against Russia in recent history, calling for “retribution.”
Hours after Moscow confirmed the plane was downed by a bomb, reports suggested that the Russian military launched a massive attack from their ships in the Mediterranean sea against the Islamic State group's stronghold of Raqqa in Syria.
While U.K. and U.S. security services had earlier announced their suspicions that a bomb had ripped open the plane carrying tourists over the restive Sinai Peninsula, Russia refrained from making similar statements, which might impact the tourist economy of their North African ally.
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Egypt had previously lashed out at the U.K. for asserting publicly that an explosive might have downed the plane, citing the announcement could be devastating for its economy that relies heavily on foreigners for tourism revenues and has been hit hard in recent years of political unrest.
But on Tuesday, Russia vowed revenge for the “terrorist” plot against its civilians, promising retaliation in the form of airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Syria, which has claimed responsibility for the plane crash.
"It (their airstrike campaing against Islamic State in Syria) must be intensified in such a way that the criminals understand that retribution is inevitable," Putin said.
"We will search for them everywhere wherever they are hiding. We will find them anywhere on the planet and punish them."