Islamic State claims responsibility for Russian plane crash in Egypt

Earlier investigations suggested the plane crashed due to a technical fault; Russian minister denies IS claims

CAIRO: A militant group affiliated to Islamic State in Egypt claimed responsibility for the downing of a Russian passenger plane that crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Saturday, the group said in a statement circulated by supporters on Twitter.

Egyptian security sources earlier on Saturday said early investigations suggested the plane crashed due to a technical fault.

The claim of responsibility was also carried by the Aamaq website which acts as a semi official news agency for Islamic State.



"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," the statement circulated on Twitter said.

A Russian airliner carrying 224 passengers and crew crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Saturday after losing radar contact and plummeting from its cruising altitude, killing all aboard.



The Airbus A321, operated by Russian airline Kogalymavia under the brand name Metrojet, was flying from the Sinai Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg in Russia when it went down in a desolate mountainous area of central Sinai soon after daybreak, the aviation ministry had said.

'Claims are inaccurate'

Claims that a Russian airliner which crashed in Egypt was shot down by terrorists "can't be considered accurate", Russia's Minister of Transport Maxim Sokolov told the Interfax news agency on Saturday.

"Now in various media there is assorted information that the Russian passenger (plane)... was supposedly shot down by an anti-aircraft missile, fired by terrorists. This information can't be considered accurate," Interfax quoted him as saying.