Russian officials said an analysis of the plane and customer baggage
revealed evidence of the explosive device. The plane crashed over
Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula on Oct. 31 with 224 passengers on board.
Alexander Bortnikov, the head of the Russian Federal Security Service,
called the bomb "a homemade explosive device with an equivalent of 1
kilogram of TNT."
The explosion led to the plane "'breaking up' in midair," Bortnikov
said, "which would explain the scattering of the plane’s fuselage [main
body] across a wide area."
Russian investigators showed the findings to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who vowed to track down those responsible.
"We will not wipe tears from our heart and soul. This will remain with
us forever," Putin said today. "But this will not prevent us from
finding and punishing the criminals. We must do that without an
expiration date, we must know them by name. We will find them
everywhere, where they have hidden themselves. We will find them at any
point on the planet and we will take retribution."
ISIS claimed responsibility soon after the crash.
Putin said Russia's military and aerial work in Syria "should be
strengthened so that the criminals understand that retribution is
unavoidable."
Russia is offering a $50 million reward for information on those responsible.
In response to Russia's findings, Secretary of State John Kerry said, "We concur there was an explosion that brought it down, but we’re not privy to their investigative information."
"We have some instinct about what might have happened" but the info is "not conclusive," Kerry added.
Egyptian officials said they will take Russia's findings "into consideration."
"Egypt stresses its cooperation with its Russian counterparts in curbing terrorism," Egyptian officials said, adding that the country has tightened security measures in airports
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