“The United States, Germany and Britain all had overflight warnings in place for Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula” — that in itself is serious indication that they think there is a strong possibility that jihadis took down the plane.
“The Latest: Countries warned of dangers flying over Sinai,” Associated Press, November 2, 2015:
The latest developments after a Russian passenger plane crashed in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board Saturday (all times local).
5:50 p.m.
The United States, Germany and Britain all had overflight warnings in place for Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, where a Russian passenger plane went down killing all 224 people on board.
Germany’s warning, filed with the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization on Oct. 5 remains in place until 2016, as do the British and American warnings. In a response dated Oct. 15, Egypt’s civil aviation authority replied that “all necessary measures for safeguarding the airspace are already taken from our side.”
The warnings advised airlines to avoid flying over the Sinai Peninsula below 26,000 feet and to avoid the Sharm el-Sheik airport due to extremist violence and, notably, the use of anti-aircraft weapons with what the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration described as having the potential to reach high altitudes.
—
5:20 p.m.
James Clapper, the U.S. director of national intelligence, says he could not rule out that the Russian passenger plane which crashed in the Sinai was brought down by Islamic State extremists.
Clapper told reporters in Washington that “we don’t have any direct evidence of any terrorist involvement yet” in the crash Saturday that killed all 224 people on the Metrojet.
But he noted that the Islamic State group, which has claimed responsibility, has a significant presence in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. Asked if Islamic State extremists had the capabilities to bring down a passenger jet, he said, “It’s unlikely, but I wouldn’t rule it out.”

underbed cat says
Listening to the current national security experts debate about the Russian plane, breaking apart and falling to the ground, near vertical after flying over a isis controlled area of the Egypt,(home of hasan al bana) and saying things such as not likely terrorism….gives me all the comfort in the world. Of course another plane flew over a warzone and it also fell to the ground and was also a passenger plane.
Now Russia is removing isis supply lines of weapons found where? What ever the current islamic terror is this week it can’t be a terrorism, it must be that creaky plane, ya know those spare parts from the space station.
I guess they cannot say one word till all facts are in, except Russian can’t make a difference by taking out isis supply lines….I wonder.
Godwin says
According to the Russian the plane broke apart in mid air without warning. A planted bomb did it ?
Rob says
In a way I’m sorry it wasn’t a Russian BUK missile that downed this plane.
That’s the weapon that brought down MH17 and fired by either Russian regulars or Russian supported forces.
So St Petersburg, as you mourn and consider the horror of death in the skies, consider also the path of your loved ‘Vladimir – Restorer of Russian Glory’.
underbed cat says
Malaysia plane( Malaysia largest muslim country) flying over a combat warzone, involving groups of extremists,(some muslim) was mistaken for an enemy plane in the Ukraine.
Russia and Putin were not cheering…..to take down a passenger plane big difference. Why would you be happy if a Russian passenger plane of innocent people would shoot down their own citizens? In Russia, a large population of muslims exist. Russian people have suffered from islamic terrorism.
I don’t celebrate for any loss of life, I just wish some people didn’t.
Peggy says
Russia is the only country fighting ISIS and you cheer when Russians die. Are you normal?
Maybe it was IS that took down this plane, but just maybe it was IS supporters and suppliers who have the capability too. One guess who that might be.
If it comes to light that it was Obama’s weapon which took down this plane are you going to cheer if a US plane full of passengers is taken down too?
Sam Hawkins says
Bomb, maybe. Anti-aircraft missile? Not if the plane was at 30,000 feet, as has been reported. Shoulder-fired AA can’t reach that high.
JIMJFOX says
Some informed opinion, at last. OF COURSE an Islamic terror group will try to claim any disaster
as their doing but let’s not give them credit, yet!
The video showed NO missile- which would most definitely have been shown IF one had been used.
ON-board bomb? Very difficult, these days- none has been successful in recent times.
The QF32 A380 at Singapore engine explosion showed how vulnerable aircraft are to serious mechanical
failure, despite the predictable statement from the airline that such things are “impossible”… it was a near-
miracle that plane did not crash.
SoCalMike says
The US had the warnings in place because Uncle Joe Biden and his sorry boss probably just delivered high altitude SAMs to the Islamic State allies they’ve been busy arming since their illegal invasion of Libya.
These brain dead boys are going to get the US attacked by a WMD.
We will be lucky to survive their term but my fear is a country that voted for Obama twice can not survive long even if we survive his time in office.
Everyone Else says
I agree based on nothing but smell.
Obama would love to punch Putin in the face, and what better way than by downing a passenger jet as happened in the Ukraine.
I couldn’t figure out why there were all the press releases about the recent US airdrop of munitions in Syria, but now it seems the purpose may have been to advertise a giant “f_ck you” to Putin.
https://www.rt.com/usa/319527-ammo-isis-syria-kurds/
JIMJFOX says
Rubbish! Obama has no balls and Putin would beat the crap out of him.
“black flag’…’Conspiracy theory’?? Sounds most likely to me.
PRCS says
In 1985 a Japan Air Lines 747 lost it’s vertical stabilizer and rudder and crashed not long into the flight due to the rupture of the fuselage’s rear pressure bulkhead; that failure being the result of an improperly performed repair some years prior.
Though the MetroJet crash could have resulted from a variety of causes, and I might well be wrong, but from reports about MetroJet’s financial condition, me being a private pilot since 1971, having spent 20 plus years in Naval Aviation maintenance, and being an aviation junkie–my money’s on shoddy or unsupervised inspection/maintenance.
I could tell you many stories.
jewdog says
I read that an S-8 Gecko shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile can reach 40,000 feet.
David Scolock says
SA-8 can get that high because it’s not a shoulder-launched SAM it’s a vehicle based system and part of soviet era battalion level air defense networks.
The shoulder launched systems that ISIS have access to are the SA-7’s.
Early days but the wreckage is not consistent with an internal bomb (we Brits have experience with this with Lockerbie). If you look at the tail section, you’ll see a clean break which is consistent with metal fatigue shearing.
Mannie says
The best theories I have seen so far, are a bomb causing the rear bulkhead to catastrophically fail, blowing out the tail, or just lousy maintenance causing the same result. That airline has an execrable maintenance record. It even scares the Russians.
Angemon says
The only reason I don’t consider the islamic state’s claim as bogus as the muslim claim of having been responsible for the death of Roland is because there’s no other source for the video.