MOSCOW — Russian officials on Tuesday confirmed that the midair explosion of a Russian jetliner over the Sinai desert last month that killed all 224 people aboard was the result of a terrorist attack.
In response, Russia significantly stepped up its airstrike campaign in Syria, deploying long-range bombers from Russian soil to strike targets there, and President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday vowed that the culprits behind the bombing of the plane would be “found and punished.”
Putin also called for greater military collaboration in Syria with French forces launching airstrikes against the Islamic State. Putin and French President François Hollande are set to meet next week following a spate of recent terrorist attacks, including Friday’s in France that left 129 dead.
At a meeting with Putin, Federal Security Service head Alexander Bortnikov said traces of explosives found in the plane’s wreckage indicated that an improvised explosive device was detonated onboard.
The statement marked the first time Russian authorities have verified that the crash was the work of terrorists. Western leaders, including President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron, said just days after the Oct. 31 tragedy that a bomb may have been responsible.
An affiliate of the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the plane crash in the days following the attack, although the claim could not immediately be verified.
“We can say conclusively that this was a terrorist act,” Bortnikov said Tuesday, according to an official transcript of the briefing.
[Terrorism worries turn parts of Sinai into no-go zones]
Meanwhile, in Egypt, authorities Tuesday detained two employees of Sharm el-Sheikh airport in connection with the downing of the Russian jet, two security officials told the Reuters news agency. The airliner was traveling from the Sinai resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh en route to St. Petersburg, when it exploded in midair and crashed into the desert.
“Seventeen people are being held,” said one of the officials, according to Reuters. “Two of them are suspected of helping whoever planted the bomb on the plane at Sharm el-Sheikh airport.”
Egypt has not confirmed that a bomb was responsible, saying it wants to wait until all investigations are complete.
Putin, flanked by Bortnikov and other top advisers in Moscow at a briefing of Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee, said those behind the attack would be brought to justice.
Source by:
Monday, May 16, 2016
Terrorizm - Russian Bomber Explodes During Takeoff
MOSCOW — Russian officials on Tuesday confirmed that the midair explosion of a Russian jetliner over the Sinai desert last month that killed all 224 people aboard was the result of a terrorist attack.
In response, Russia significantly stepped up its airstrike campaign in Syria, deploying long-range bombers from Russian soil to strike targets there, and President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday vowed that the culprits behind the bombing of the plane would be “found and punished.”
Putin also called for greater military collaboration in Syria with French forces launching airstrikes against the Islamic State. Putin and French President François Hollande are set to meet next week following a spate of recent terrorist attacks, including Friday’s in France that left 129 dead.
At a meeting with Putin, Federal Security Service head Alexander Bortnikov said traces of explosives found in the plane’s wreckage indicated that an improvised explosive device was detonated onboard.
The statement marked the first time Russian authorities have verified that the crash was the work of terrorists. Western leaders, including President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron, said just days after the Oct. 31 tragedy that a bomb may have been responsible.
An affiliate of the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the plane crash in the days following the attack, although the claim could not immediately be verified.
“We can say conclusively that this was a terrorist act,” Bortnikov said Tuesday, according to an official transcript of the briefing.
[Terrorism worries turn parts of Sinai into no-go zones]
Meanwhile, in Egypt, authorities Tuesday detained two employees of Sharm el-Sheikh airport in connection with the downing of the Russian jet, two security officials told the Reuters news agency. The airliner was traveling from the Sinai resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh en route to St. Petersburg, when it exploded in midair and crashed into the desert.
“Seventeen people are being held,” said one of the officials, according to Reuters. “Two of them are suspected of helping whoever planted the bomb on the plane at Sharm el-Sheikh airport.”
Egypt has not confirmed that a bomb was responsible, saying it wants to wait until all investigations are complete.
Putin, flanked by Bortnikov and other top advisers in Moscow at a briefing of Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee, said those behind the attack would be brought to justice.
Source by:
0 comments:
Post a Comment