The recovered black box voice recorder on the Russian Metrojet was functioning, finally affirming a week of speculation about the fate of the plane, which crashed Saturday in the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board. As was expected, the black boxes determined it was a bombing.
Sources say the data recorder showed the flight was traveling perfectly normal and without incident for 24 minutes, then suffered a “violent and sudden explosive decompression,” breaking apart mid-air and crashing into a mountainous part of the peninsula.
The audio recorders also picked up the sound of the explosion, apparently a bomb, as investigators say the explosion was not consistent with engine failure or any other technical problem. Russian experts have taken samples from the plane and are still looking for traces of explosives.
The ISIS affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula claimed credit for downing the plane on the day of the crash, and intelligence has since suggested that an airport employee at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport planted the bomb on the plane before takeoff.
Early in the week, most officials on all sides were doubting the ISIS story. It’s not surprising, as ISIS did not offer any details on how they carried out such an attack. This led many at the time to suspect that ISIS was simply claiming credit for a random crash.
Yet US and British intelligence started picking up communications from ISIS suggesting that they indeed did have something to do with it in the days that followed, and Russia followed their lead today, announcing they are halting all flights out of Egypt for security’s sake.
The Egyptian junta, by contrast, has repeatedly denied that ISIS was responsible for the attack, and has slammed the nations that have halted flights to the peninsula as buying into “propaganda.” Tourism is economically important to Egypt, and the junta is rejecting calls to ratchet up security at Sharm el-Sheikh resort, insisting they have the situation well in hand.
I seriously doubt western intelligence is being altruistic.
My view is that they're trying to frame the narrative and lead the Russians in a specific direction.
ISIS IS ISrael.
Very true.
strange. russia has been bombing "moderate" rebels, not isis.
yes, the same rebels who are fighting isis.
the us-led coalition claims to be bombing isis, rather ineffectively.
why then would isis target a russian airliner, and not one from
one of the coalition countries.
There are many actors that want the Russians to quit bombing ISIS:
ISIS
Israel
Turkey
Saudi Arabia
Uncle Sam
Any of them could have been involved. The Russians have a huge incentive to uncover the conspirators. Time to buy more popcorn.
You can add to all the above the Egyptian dictatorship itself along with the gulf states on one side along with Iran, Assad and Russia on the other side. You possibly also can include China because China and Russia in the face of western belligerence and insanity have increasingly been drawn closer and closer in alliance. They both have each other's back. The west is screwing around with China in the South China Sea.
All of the parties lined up against Assad, Iran and Russia are allies and the line that separates ISIS and the 'moderate' Syrian Rebels it not clear at all. Some would argue they is no line.
About the only thing we can conclude with certainty is that things are not what they appear to be, with numerous intelligence agencies (many allied and/or subordinate to our own, and many in opposition) operating in the shadows to shape events and promote false narratives. This is what intelligence agencies do…..since The Trojan Horse.
It is really not possible to know the real truth but deep suspicions (based upon numerous pieces of evidence) are legitimate. One such piece of evidence is the declassified document produced by judicial Watch in May. That revelation added great support to many other facts and reports regarding who is really behind, arming and protecting ISIS and who is merely pretending to be fighting them, as well as who's strategic bidding ISIS appears to be doing. Sometimes it's really difficult to see that which is in front of your nose.
What you read in the mainstream media (especially the U.S. Mainstream media) should be taken with a grain of salt because you have no way of verifying much of what they claim, along with the fact they have been wrong, or worse lied to you so many times ((WMD in Iraq?) you would be a fool to believe anything they say. the mainstream media is just a megaphone and stenographers for the Military Industrial Complex.
The pieces may move around the chessboard but we are all pawns in the game.
Because ISIS knows that, sooner or later, Putin has to attack them if he wants to control Syria. They`re probably trying to warn him off.
What a shame if this is really the case. Now the question is how, which shouldn't be too hard to answer. Then the question becomes who did it, who provided material support, who emboldened the actors.
Probably again the leader of the free world helped the freedom fighters of IS how Brzsinski did in 80ist and remained very proud of it even today
Fine. But how will that help Putin? Either he grins and bears it or he bogs himself down even more in Syria. Once again, even if Putin "wins", he loses!
What does helping Putin have to do with anything? It's about accountability, to the families of the deceased, to the world; it's about truth, knowing who stands for what in the world.
Mr. Kenny would propagandize his own mother's death if he thought it would make Putin look bad. And his sociopathic indifference to the murder of 224 Russians is standard fare for him at this point, as he comes through AWC daily to spread his nonsense — a sort of Tokyo Rose or Axis Sally. (Wonder if he'll have something to say over that comparison?) By his "standards," bin Laden scored the greatest victory in human history over George Bush on 9/11.
Everyday Egypt is proving to be a failed state with the criminals on top.
A breech in the hull would have cause the same effect.
I agree – this "bomb placed by Arab terrorists" theory is being offered immediately by people who have an axe to grind. These same people were content to blame Russian backed rebels in Ukraine for downing MH-17, and had no interest in later official investigations. As for this article; I hope that Jason Ditz is just hoping that sophisticated readers know that so far "nothing proves exactly that – nothing"
Did you morons bother reading the article?
Oh let me illustrate the principle to you – last evening my cat and my girlfriend went out – this morning my car has a crumpled fender – no-one is saying anything – I assume the cat is responsible. What is your point, goldhoarder?
This is a huge domestic political disaster for Putin regardless of who did it or even if it ultimately turns out not to have been a bomb. There are about 50000 Russian tourists stuck in Sharm-el-Sheikh who are going to have to be flown home. We Europeans love our winter holiday in the sun and things get booked out very quickly, so, at this late stage, the Russian tour operators are probably fully booked for the season. And the same will be true of alternative destinations. People won`t just be able to switch to another destination. That`s an awful lot of people who have to get their money back and an awful lot of charter flights that won`t take off. That`s an awful lot of people whose winter holiday has gone down the toilet and an awful lot of people in the outward tourism and airline industries who may well lose their jobs this winter (Putin`s antics in Ukraine have already very largely killed off the inward tourism industry!) That`s an awful lot of angry Russians who see their lives disrupted to hang on to a militarily useless naval base and to grab land in Ukraine that they don`t want to take and the Ukrainians don`want to give. Indeed, it`s hard to see how anyone could have done more damage to Putin than has been done here.
How is/was a bomb distinguished from a missile?
How does anyone figure out who (caused it to be) put on/fired at the plane?
Very little seems to be known (the plane and crew are exonerated). Probably never will be.
Someone soon will have to pay the piper for this. Who has been doing this since 911?….