The British prime minister, David Cameron, has said the Russian jet crash over Egypt was “more likely than not†caused by a bomb, as he defended his decision to halt all flights between the UK and the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Speaking from Downing Street the prime minister said it could “take some time†to start flying UK tourists back from Sharm.
The prime minister’s office said it could not be categorical but an evolving picture, partly based on secret intelligence, suggested that a bomb may have caused the plane to crash in Sinai, killing all 224 people on board. A group with ties to Islamic State has made a second claim of responsibility for the disaster.
The Egyptian foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, said the UK’s decision was premature and unwarranted and Russia has also downplayed suggestions that the plane was brought down by terrorists.
