224 killed as Russian airliner crashes in Egypt's Sinai

[Viper]

Egypt airport officials reveal porous security as bomb theory surrounds Russian jet crash

Lapses exposed at Sharm el-Sheikh include poor baggage scanning

PUBLISHED : Sunday, 08 November, 2015, 11:19pm
UPDATED : Sunday, 08 November, 2015, 11:19pm

Associated Press in Cairo

Tourists queue for security checks at Sharm el-Sheikh.Photo: EPA

The airport at Egypt's resort of Sharm el-Sheikh has long seen gaps in security, including a key baggage scanning device that often is not functioning and lax searches at an entry gate for food and fuel for the planes, security officials at the airport said.

Security at the airport, and others around Egypt, have become a central concern as investigators probe the October 31 crash of a Russian plane 23 minutes after it left Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all 224 on board. The US and Britain have said the cause was likely a bomb planted on the flight, and Russia has halted flights to Egypt until security at airports is improved.

Seven officials involved in security at Sharm el-Sheikh airport, several for more than a decade, have revealed the holes in security. Several said the malfunctioning scanner had been noted in security reports to their superiors, but the machine was not replaced.

One of the officials, involved in security for planes, also pointed to bribe-taking by poorly paid policemen monitoring X-ray machines. "I can't tell you how many times I have caught a bag full of drugs or weapons that they have let through for €10 or whatever," he said.

The A321 plane of Metrojet from Sharm-el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg crashed in the Sinai, Egypt on October 31, killing all 224 people aboard. Photo: EPA

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi has said British officials sent a security team to evaluate the airport 10 months ago, in cooperation with Egyptian officials, and were satisfied with the results.

A spokesman for Britain's Department of Transportation would not comment on any details of what the team found. But British Transport Secretary Patrick Mcloughlin suggested on Friday that screening of checked-in bags was insufficient, telling the BBC that it had imposed its own additional checks on its flights "because we weren't wholly satisfied with the way screening had been done."

All bags are put through a scanner as passengers enter Sharm airport, and carry-on bags go through a second machine at the gate before boarding.

But a scanner in the sorting area for checked-in bags often was not working, all the airport officials said.

One of the officials said the breakdowns in the 10-year-old CTX scanner were because operators didn't use it properly - "human stupidity," he said - rather than technical faults.

"I have seen people unplug it to save power," he said.

Another of the officials said the staff made sure the scanner was operating well enough whenever international experts came to review airport measures.

"We only care about appearances," he said. "Once they [higher-ups] hear someone is coming, suddenly everything gets fixed. ... We wish we had visits every day."

Several of the officials argued that it was "not that important" that the machine broke down because when it was working, it was only used to scan a sample of the bags, not all of them.

The scanner was one of at least five granted by Britain, and another scanner is used at Cairo's airport but only to scan luggage for flights to London and Paris, according to two security officials there. In Sharm el-Sheikh, the selective use of the scanner was even more arbitrary, three officials said.

 

[Viper]

Investigators "90 per cent sure" of bomb

Ahmed Mohamed Hassan and Michael Georgy
November 9, 2015, 7:42 am

Investigators of the Russian plane crash in Egypt are "90 per cent sure" the noise heard in the final second of a cockpit recording was an explosion caused by a bomb, a member of the investigation team says.

The Airbus A321 crashed 23 minutes after taking off from the Sharm al-Sheikh tourist resort eight days ago, killing all 224 passengers and crew. Islamic State militants fighting Egyptian security forces in Sinai said they brought it down.

"The indications and analysis so far of the sound on the black box indicate it was a bomb," said the Egyptian investigation team member, who asked not to be named due to sensitivities. "We are 90 per cent sure it was a bomb."

His comments reflect a higher degree of certainty about the cause of the crash than the investigation committee has so far declared in public.

Lead investigator Ayman al-Muqaddam announced on Saturday that the plane appeared to have broken up in mid-air while it was being flown on auto-pilot, and that a noise had been heard in the last second of the cockpit recording. But he said it was too soon to draw conclusions about why the plane crashed.

Confirmation that militants brought down the airliner could have a devastating impact on Egypt's lucrative tourist industry, which has suffered from years of political turmoil and was hit last week when Russia, Turkey and several European countries suspended flights to Sharm al-Sheikh and other destinations.

It could also mark a new strategy by the hardline Islamic State group which holds large parts of Syria and Iraq.

Asked to explain the remaining 10 per cent margin of doubt, the investigator declined to elaborate, but Muqaddam cited other possibilities on Saturday including a fuel explosion, metal fatigue in the plane or lithium batteries overheating.

He said debris was scattered over a 13km area "which is consistent with an in-flight break-up".

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the incident could lead to changes in flight security.

"If this turns out to be a device planted by an ISIL operative or by somebody inspired by ISIL, then clearly we will have to look again at the level of security we expect to see in airports in areas where ISIL is active," Hammond told the BBC.

Islamic State militants fighting security forces in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula have said they brought down the aircraft as revenge for Russian air strikes against Islamist fighters in Syria. They said they would eventually tell the world how they carried out the attack.

Russia has returned 11,000 of its tourists from Egypt in the last 24 hours, RIA news agency said on Sunday, a fraction of the 80,000 Russians who were stranded by the Kremlin's decision on Friday to halt all flights to Egypt.

A British official said on Saturday it could take 10 days for all British tourists to be flown home.

 

[Viper]

Russia sees possible 'terror' link in Egypt jet crash

AFP
November 10, 2015, 6:40 am

Sharm el Sheikh (Egypt) (AFP) - Moscow acknowledged Monday for the first time a terrorist attack could have caused the October 31 Russian plane crash in Egypt, as thousands more tourists were evacuated from the country.

"The possibility of an act of terror is of course there as the reason for what happened," Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev admitted in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta state newspaper.

Britain and the United States, as well as international investigators, suspect a bomb exploded on board the Metrojet A-321 plane, but Egyptian officials insist there is no evidence yet of an attack on the aircraft which jihadists claim to have downed.

Russia had also refrained from blaming the crash, which killed all 224 people on board, on terrorists, although President Vladimir Putin on Friday suspended all flights to Egypt.

Israel, which has strong intelligence links to the neighbouring Sinai where the Airbus came down while en route from Egypt's resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to Saint Petersburg, also sided with the attack theory.

"There is a strong probability that this is an attack," Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon told Israeli reporters on Monday.

"From what we know and what we understand, I would be surprised if it turns out that it was not an attack."

And the head of Airbus said no technical fault has yet been detected for the crash of the A-321.

"I can say that so far, what we got from the investigation didn't trigger any action, technical action on our side, regarding the A-321 fleet," said Fabrice Bregier, the European manufacturer's chief executive officer.

- Top jihadist killed -

"But we need to wait for the conclusion of the investigations," Bregier said at the Dubai Airshow.

Amid the tourist exodus from Egypt, a senior operative of the Islamic State jihadist group, Ashraf Ali Ali Hassanein al-Gharabli, was shot dead in an exchange of fire in Cairo after police tried to arrest him, the interior ministry said.

The IS group's branch in the Sinai claimed responsibility after the Russian plane crash.

Tens of thousands of foreign tourists, including some 80,000 Russians and 20,000 Britons, were stranded in the resort after flights were cancelled over security fears.

Moscow said Monday that about 25,000 Russian tourists had so far returned, on more than 100 flights, while Prime Minister David Cameron's office said some 5,000 Britons had returned home.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said he hoped flights to Sharm could resume soon, once "robust" security arrangements are in place.

"We've got a peak season coming up over Christmas. We very much hope that it will be possible to resume normal air operations soon," he told reporters.

Flight numbers have been limited because both Russia and Britain have banned tourists from bringing their check-in luggage, which will be flown home separately.

That restriction has prompted Egypt to limit the number of daily repatriation flights because it says there is only so much baggage its airports can accommodate.

The crash has led to calls for greater security at airports in regions near where jihadists operate.

- Fears for tourism -

It has also raised fears for Egypt's vital tourism industry, which had already been suffering from years of unrest.

Derek Moore, chairman of the Association of Independent Tour Operators, told AFP that concerns over a bomb could dissuade British tourists from visiting during the peak season.

"Even offering rock-bottom prices will not achieve that if there is a feeling that a trip to Sharm might result in death," he said.

Local tourism chiefs say Sharm is secure.

"Sharm is safe. There is no problem inside Sharm el-Sheikh," said Givara el-Gafy, head of the south Sinai tourism chamber.

On Saturday, the head of Egypt's investigative committee said the cause of the crash was still not clear.

"Initial observations... do not allow for identifying the origin of the in-flight break-up" of the aircraft 23 minutes and 14 seconds after it departed, Ayman el-Mokkadem said.

Egypt has pushed back against mounting international concerns that a bomb brought down the plane, with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry saying it was too early to form a "hypothesis".

Sources close to the probe have told AFP that experts involved in the investigation, with the exception of the Egyptians, "strongly favour" the theory of a bomb on board.

IS said it downed the plane in retaliation for Russian air strikes in Syria, but has not said how.

The IS affiliate in Egypt is waging a bloody insurgency in north Sinai that has killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers.

 

[Viper]

Possible 'terror' link to crash: Russia

By Jay Deshmukh
November 10, 2015, 3:20 pm

Moscow has acknowledged for the first time a terrorist attack could have caused last month's Russian plane crash in Egypt, as thousands more tourists were evacuated from the country.

Britain and the US, as well as international investigators, suspect a bomb exploded on board the Metrojet A-321 plane, but Egyptian officials insist there is no evidence yet of an attack on the aircraft which jihadists claim to have downed.

Russia had also previously refrained from blaming the crash, which killed all 224 people on board, on terrorists until Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's admission.

"The possibility of an act of terror is of course there as the reason for what happened," Medvedev said in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta state newspaper.

A growing international chorus has backed the theory that the plane was downed in an attack, with British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond saying Monday it was "more likely than not" that the plane was downed by an "explosive device placed on board".

On Monday, Israel - which has strong intelligence links to neighbouring Sinai where the Airbus came down while en route from Egypt's resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to Saint Petersburg - joined in.

"There is a strong probability that this is an attack," Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon told Israeli reporters on Monday.

And Airbus chief Fabrice Bregier said no technical fault has yet been detected for the crash of the A-321.

"I can say that so far, what we got from the investigation didn't trigger any action, technical action on our side, regarding the A-321 fleet," said Bregier.

"But we need to wait for the conclusion of the investigations."

Amid the tourist exodus from Egypt, a senior operative of the Islamic State jihadist group, Ashraf Ali Ali Hassanein al-Gharabli, was shot dead in an exchange of fire in Cairo after police tried to arrest him, the interior ministry said.

The IS group's branch in the Sinai claimed responsibility after the Russian plane crash.

IS said it downed the plane in retaliation for Russian air strikes in Syria, but has not said how.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of foreign tourists, including some 80,000 Russians and 20,000 Britons, were stranded in Egypt after flights were cancelled over security fears.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday suspended all flights to Egypt.

Moscow said on Monday that about 25,000 Russian tourists had so far returned on more than 100 flights, while London said some 5,000 Britons had returned home.

Hammond said he hoped flights to Sharm could resume soon, once "robust" security arrangements are in place.

 

[winnipegjets]

Damn ...airport screening will be tightened again. Back to check-in 3 hours before departure. The Muslims are causing us the world to spend lots of money.

 

[Viper]

Russia confirms bomb attack brought down Egypt plane, vows revenge

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 17 November, 2015, 5:37pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 17 November, 2015, 6:22pm

Egyptian Military vehicles approach the tail of a passenger jet bound for St. Petersburg in Russia that now Russia, the UK and other countries believe was brought down by explosives onboard. Photo: AP

Russia's President Vladimir Putin vowed vengeance after Moscow on Tuesday confirmed that a bomb attack brought down a passenger jet over Egypt last month, killing all 224 people on board.

“It is not the first time that Russia confronts barbarous terrorist crimes”, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a meeting late Monday with his security chiefs.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) meets with defence chiefs as he pledged to step up air strikes in Syria. Photo: AFP

“The murder of our people in Sinai is among the bloodiest crimes in terms of victims. We will not wipe away the tears from our soul and hearts. This will stay with us forever but will not stop us finding and punishing the criminals,” he said in comments released Tuesday.

“We will search for them anywhere they might hide. We will find them in any part of the world and punish them,” he said, calling the attack “one of the bloodiest crimes”.

Russia's security chief Alexander Bortnikov told Putin that the passenger jet was brought down over the Sinai peninsula by a bomb with a force equivalent to one kilo of TNT.

“We can say unequivocally that this was a terrorist attack,” Federal Security Service (FSB) head Bortnikov said.

Egyptians hold candles in front of the Great Pyramid, illuminated in the colours of the Russian and French flags to show solidarity after the Paris terror attacks and the crash of Russian Metrojet plane on 31 October. Photo: EPA

In response to the attack Putin pledged to step up air strikes in Syria where Moscow is conducting a bombing campaign it says is targeting the Islamic State group and other “terrorist” groups.

“The combat work of our aviation in Syria must not only be continued. It must be intensified so that the criminals understand that vengeance is inevitable,” Putin said.

A group linked to IS had earlier claimed responsibility for downing the plane but Russia had said it was waiting for the official results of an investigation into the tragedy.

Putin ordered Russia's foreign ministry to contact all Moscow's partners for assistance and said that it was counting on “our friends” to help find and punish those responsible for the plane attack.

 

[Viper]

Egypt detains two airport staff in connection with Russian air crash: Sources

Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Reuters
First posted: Tuesday, November 17, 2015 09:46 AM EST | Updated: Tuesday, November 17, 2015 10:19 AM EST

CAIRO - Egyptian authorities have detained two employees of Sharm al-Sheikh airport for questioning in connection with the downing of a Russian jet on Oct. 31 that killed all 224 people on board, two security officials and an airport employee said on Tuesday

"Seventeen people are being held, two of them are suspected of helping whoever planted the bomb on the plane at Sharm al-Sheikh airport," said one of the security officials who both declined to be named.

One of the security officials said CCTV footage showed a baggage handler carrying a suitcase from an airport building to another man, who was loading luggage onto the doomed airliner from beneath the plane on the runway.

An employee at the airport media department, who also preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed two members of the ground crew had been detained for questioning on Monday night.

The interior and civil aviation ministries' media departments denied in a statement that there had been any arrests.

Russia's FSB security service said on Tuesday it was certain a bomb had brought down the plane, joining Britain and the United States in reaching that conclusion.

Egypt has not yet confirmed that a bomb was responsible, saying it wants to wait until all investigations are complete.

It was not immediately clear what role the employees had at the airport, which is Egypt's third-busiest, handling a vast number of charter and budget flights for tourists seeking sea and sun in the southern Sinai peninsula.

Separately, other sources at the airport said security forces were searching for two employees who are suspected of leaving a baggage-scanning machine unattended for a period of time while passengers were boarding the doomed Russian plane.

CCTV footage was being examined to confirm what happened.

The sources said investigators had questioned all the airport staff involved with handling the Russian airplane, its passengers and bags after the crash. No arrests had been made in the search for the two employees who were believed to have stepped away from the baggage-scanning machine.

Since the disaster, many flights to and from Sharm al-Sheikh have been suspended, raising concerns that Egypt's tourism industry, worth about $7 billion a year and still a pillar of the economy despite having fallen sharply in recent years, will be further ravaged.

Alexander Bortnikov, the head of Russia's FSB, said the conclusion of Russian investigators was that a homemade bomb containing around 1 kg (2 lbs) of TNT had detonated during the flight, causing the plane to break up in mid-air.

"We can unequivocally say it was a terrorist act," he said.

Egyptian ministers were meeting in Sharm al-Sheikh on Tuesday, with a news conference expected later in the day.

 

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