Rep. Peter King: Evidence Points To Terrorist Attack On Russian Plane
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The crash of a Russian passenger plane last month was a hot topic of discussion for some New York lawmakers Sunday.
Republican U.S. Rep. Peter King said evidence points to either ISIS or an ISIS affiliate having brought down Russian Airbus A321 in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board.
"To me, that is the general consensus among people I've spoken to in the intelligence community," King said on ABC's "This Week. "I guess until it's final we can't say, but right now all the evidence points in that direction."
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility. U.S. and British officials say intelligence shows the plane was likely brought down by a bomb on board.
If the crash was the result of a terrorist attack, it could have a significant impact on travel worldwide, King said.
"ISIS has not gone international before, certainly not to this extent," said King, the chairman of the Homeland Security subcommittee on counterintelligence and terrorism. "There are a number of airports in that region which do not have anywhere near the security that's needed, and they have flights coming to the U.S., going to Europe. So we're going to have to really insist that that security be tightened up."
Meanwhile, Democratic U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said reports that Egypt is allowing the Federal Bureau of Investigation to conduct its own probe of the crash are false -- which he added is a mistake.
"Our government should put pressure on Egypt's to let our FBI do a full investigation here for the safety of future flights in the world and for Americans, but so far Egypt is completely resisting," Schumer told reporters, including WCBS 880's Ginny Kosola, during a news conference in Manhattan.
Schumer said he believes the Egyptian government doesn't want it revealed if it was terrorism because it would discourage tourism.
"There are very few instances of this happening due to mechanical failure," the senator said.
Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand also called for a full U.S. investigation.
"As a New Yorker, we are often the No. 1 terror target," she said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "We've been able to subvert attempts in the past, and it's very important that we do this full investigation so we're knowledgeable.
"It is interesting that U.K. intellingence thinks it's more likely than not that it could have been a bomb. It's a serious issue, and obviously this issue of terrorism really weighs on the American people."
Meanwhile Sunday, international passengers departing Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh continued to line up for flights, as the first of three teams of Russian inspectors was dispatched to the country to examine airport security following the Oct. 31 airline disaster.
Britain and several airlines have stopped normally scheduled flights to the resort, while Russia has suspended all flights to Egypt because of security concerns.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich did not give details on what specific security issues the inspections teams would be examining. Dvorkovich said that 11,000 Russians were flown home from Egypt on Saturday and an even larger number were expected to leave Sunday, according to Russian news agencies.
Security officials at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport have told The Associated Press that the facility has long had gaps in security, including a key baggage scanning device that often is not functioning and lax searches at an entry gate for food and fuel for the planes. One security official said drugs and weapons slip through security checks at the airport because poorly paid policemen monitoring X-ray machines can be bribed.
A spokesman for Egypt's Aviation Ministry, Mohamed Rahma, dismissed the accounts of inadequate security, saying "Sharm el-Sheikh is one of the safest airports in the world," without elaborating.
Egyptian authorities have bristled at the allegations of lax security, with some blaming an anti-Egypt bias in the foreign media. Those sensitivities were on display Sunday as foreign camera crews were prevented from filming inside the Sharm el-Sheikh airport, along the city's main tourist strip in Naama Bay, or in other public spaces.
Despite strong government denials, the suggestions of a major security breach at Sharm el-Sheikh airport have gained traction among some Egyptians. On Saturday an Associated Press reporter at Cairo airport witnessed several passengers yelling at security personnel to pay more attention to the X-ray scanner, with one man repeatedly shouting, "This is what happened in Sharm!''
Meanwhile, the Mideast region's biggest airline, Emirates, said it was reviewing its security procedures in Egypt but remains committed to maintaining flights to Egypt, calling it "an enormously important market."
In Russia, more than a thousand mourners packed into the landmark St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg for a memorial service for the victims. Attendees lit candles and stood in silence as the cathedral bells rang 224 times to remember each victim.
"We came to the service today with all our family to support the people in our common grief," said Galina Stepanova, 58.
Stepanova said she believed the plane was downed by a bomb, but said that Russia should continue its airstrike campaign against the Islamic State group and other insurgents in Syria.
"We have a rightful cause to help Syria in its fight against terrorism," she said.
Mikhail Vishnyakov, a 42-year-old sales manager who attended the service with his family, said he did not want to rush to conclusions about the cause of the plane crash until the investigation was complete.
"If it was a terrorist act, I don't think it was directed exactly against Russia. It could well be directed against any other plane of any other country. It was for a good reason that other countries began to take their tourists from Egypt,'' Vishnyakov said.
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