Egypt and Russia deny that a bomb downed Metrojet plane
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Egypt and Russia on Thursday dismissed concerns expressed by U.S. and British officials that the Metrojet plane crash that killed 224 people in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula may have been caused by a bomb planted by ISIS.
"The investigation team does not have any evidence or data confirming this hypothesis," Egypt's Civil Aviation Minister Hossam Kamal said in a statement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov called the information "unverified" and said the West was pushing it because of "geopolitical resistance to Russia's actions in Syria."
U.S. investigators are still reviewing the evidence, but one anonymous official told CNN on Wednesday that "the analysis is pointing toward the cause being a bomb," a concern echoed by the British government.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com