U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses the crowd at the South Carolina African American Chamber of Commerce in North Charleston. PHOTO: REUTERS
WASHINGTON: Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Thursday that the possible crash of an EgyptAir passenger jet from Paris to Cairo appeared to be "yet another terrorist attack."
The Airbus A320 was flying at 37,000 feet (11,000 meters) when it disappeared from radar about 130 nautical miles off the Greek island of Karpathos.
"Looks like yet another terrorist attack. Airplane departed from Paris," Trump posted on Twitter.
EgyptAir flight crashes in Mediterranean with 66 on board
"When will we get tough, smart and vigilant? Great hate and sickness!"
Looks like yet another terrorist attack. Airplane departed from Paris. When will we get tough, smart and vigilant? Great hate and sickness!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 19, 2016
The billionaire real estate mogul's tweet came at 1027 GMT, shortly after reports quoting experts who said a terrorist attack was a likely scenario for the disappearance, but about three hours before Egypt's aviation minister Sherif Fathy told reporters that terrorism was a possibility.
Trump has routinely called for a stronger crackdown on "radical Islamic terrorism."
He has stirred controversy with his provocative statements about Muslims, including his call for a ban on Muslims entering the United States.
Donald Trump claims net worth of more than $10 billion
National security is a prominent issue in the 2016 US presidential campaign, with Trump saying President Barack Obama's administration has enabled extremism by showing a lack of international leadership.
Last week Trump told Fox News he was considering setting up a commission that would take a "very serious look at this problem" of radical Islamic terrorism if he were elected.
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