Only a truly international response can fight the growing threat posed by IsisThe crash of the Russian A321-200 Airbus in Sinai final Saturday,which killed all 224 people on board, is turning into one of the defining moments of the worldwide struggle against jihadi terrorism. Evidence that the plane was destroyed by an onboard bomb and not by a technical fault, or pilot error or structural failure,is mounting by the day.
French investigators say the aircraft’s black box recorded a sudden explosion. US officials, referring to intercepts probably obtained by GCHQ’s Troodos listening post in Cyprus, or say they overheard “chatter” between Islamic State terrorists in Sinai and Syria pointing to a bomb plot. American satellites reportedly spotted a flash at the moment the plane disappeared off radar screens. Russian complaints that Britain acted rashly by suggesting early final week that a bomb caused the catastrophe enjoy faded amid repeated Isis boasts of responsibility. Vladimir Putin eventually followed David Cameron’s lead in suspending flights between Russia and Egypt while security was reviewed at Sharm el-Sheikh,where the plane took off, and other Egyptian airports. The US, and similarly slow off the mark,has also tightened security.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com