Report: Russian Plane Bomb Was in Cabin, Not Luggage

ISIS Picture Also Adds to Speculation of Passenger Detonating Bomb

Reports in the Russian media, citing the ongoing investigation into the bombing of last month’s Metrojet, which was downed in the Sinai Peninsula, suggest that the bomb which brought down the plane was in the main cabin with the passengers, and not in the luggage hold as previously speculated.

ISIS issued their own statement pointing that way as well, showing a photograph they claim was of the bomb used on the plane. The bomb shows a soda can, a blasting cap, and a toggle-switch detonator, which may also point to someone physically flipping the switch on the plane instead of a remote detonation.

There’s no confirmation that the ISIS photo is the real bomb, of course, with some doubting that the simple and fairly obvious-looking bomb could really get smuggled on board by a passenger at any airport with even rudimentary security.

ISIS is, however, believed to have influence at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport, and this might’ve included some way of letting an attacker bypass security. Egypt is conducting their own investigation into the security failings, but has been very opaque on the matter, refusing to admit that the plane was bombed at all.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.