Investigating the Russian Plane Crash in Egypt

MIDDLE EAST

A Russian flight crashed in the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt on Oct. 31, killing all 224 people on board. Officials are investigating what might have caused an explosion that brought down the plane.

UPDATED Nov. 5

The Egyptian government has long promoted the glittering resort of Sharm el Sheikh as both the crown jewel of its tourist industry and a redoubt of security against jihadist violence.

As a militant insurgency based in northern Sinai has raised alarms about travel to broad sections of the country, the Egyptian authorities and Western governments held out Sharm el Sheikh as a safe haven. The steady flow of sun-seekers — increasingly budget-minded Russians — was a bright spot in Egypt’s deeply troubled tourism industry.

Now, the crash of a Russian passenger jet that took off from Sharm el Sheikh has threatened the resort’s reputation.

So what? What is more important, the reputation of a resort or the lives that were lost? [AA}

The tail of the Metrojet airliner that crashed in the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt on Saturday.

Mystery Deepens Over Russian Plane Crash in Egypt NOV. 2, 2015

Vladimir Puchkov, left, Russia’s emergency situations minister, with other officials on Sunday at the site of the Metrojet crash on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.
Who’s Involved in the Metrojet Crash Investigation NOV. 2, 2015

Grieving at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg, where a plane from Egypt on Monday returned the bodies of some of the 224 victims.

Families and Experts Begin to Identify Sinai Plane Crash Victims in St. PetersburgNOV. 2, 2015

Flowers and stuffed animals piled up at a makeshift memorial at Pulkovo Airport on Sunday, forming a somber scene as Russians commemorated their dead.

Amid Vigils and Debris, Officials Seek Cause of Sinai Peninsula Crash NOV. 1, 2015

Although the cause of the crash remained unknown pending investigation of the wreckage, an Egyptian arm of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, has claimed responsibility. The claim has focused attention on the possibility that the militants might have penetrated the Sharm el Sheikh airport in order to plant an explosive inside the airplane.

And who funds, trained, and provide weapons to ISIS ?