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world NEWSMonday 9 November 2015
Passengers wait to leave Egypt, Russian inspectors en route
BRIAN ROHAN scheduled flights to the Tourists arrive to the departure hall of the Sharm el-Sheikh airport, south Sinai, Egypt.
Associated Press resort, while Russia has sus- International passengers departing Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh continued to line
CAIRO (AP) — Internation- pended all flights to Egypt up for flights on Sunday, following the Oct. 31 airline disaster.
al passengers departing because of security con-
Egypt’s Red Sea resort of cerns. (AP Photo/Vinciane Jacquet)
Sharm el-Sheikh contin- U.S. lawmakers weighed in
ued to line up for flights on on the issue Sunday. Rep.
Sunday, as the first of three Adam Schiff of California,
teams of Russian inspec- the top Democrat on the
tors was dispatched to the House Intelligence Com-
country to examine airport mittee, told ABC’s “This
security following the Oct. Week” if it’s confirmed the
31 airline disaster. plane was brought down
The Russian flight’s crash by an Islamic State bomb,
in the Sinai Peninsula that then “ISIS has now fully
killed all 224 people on- eclipsed al-Qaida as the
board continues to gener- gravest terrorist threat in
ate fallout, after the Islamic the world.”
State claimed responsibil- British Foreign Secretary
ity for its downing and U.S. Phillip Hammond told the
and British officials say intel- BBC on Sunday that if the
ligence shows it was likely bomb is confirmed, it will
brought down by a bomb require a potential rethink-
on board. ing of airport security in all
Britain and several airlines areas where the extremist
have stopped normally group is active.
Russian Deputy Prime Min- equate security, saying gion’s biggest airline, Emir-
ister Arkady Dvorkovich did “Sharm el-Sheikh is one of ates, said it was reviewing
not give details on what the safest airports in the its security procedures in
specific security issues the world,” without elaborat- Egypt but remains commit-
inspections teams would ing. ted to maintaining flights to
be examining. Dvorkovich Egyptian authorities have Egypt, calling it “an enor-
said that 11,000 Russians bristled at the allegations mously important market.”
were flown home from of lax security, with some In Russia, more than
Egypt on Saturday and an blaming an anti-Egypt a thousand mourners
even larger number were bias in the foreign media. packed into the landmark
expected to leave Sun- Those sensitivities were on St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St.
day, according to Russian display Sunday as foreign Petersburg for a memo-
news agencies. camera crews were pre- rial service for the victims.
Security officials at the vented from filming inside Attendees lit candles and
Sharm el-Sheikh airport the Sharm el-Sheikh airport, stood in silence as the ca-
have told The Associated along the city’s main tour- thedral bells rang 224 times
Press that the facility has ist strip in Naama Bay, or in to remember each victim.
long had gaps in security, other public spaces. “We came to the service
including a key baggage Despite strong government today with all our family to
scanning device that of- denials, the suggestions of support the people in our
ten is not functioning and a major security breach common grief,” said Ga-
lax searches at an entry at Sharm el-Sheikh air- lina Stepanova, 58.
gate for food and fuel port have gained traction Stepanova said she be-
for the planes. One secu- among some Egyptians. lieved the plane was
rity official said drugs and On Saturday an Associat- downed by a bomb, but
weapons slip through se- ed Press reporter at Cairo said that Russia should con-
curity checks at the airport airport witnessed several tinue its airstrike campaign
because poorly paid po- passengers yelling at secu- against the Islamic State
licemen monitoring X-ray rity personnel to pay more group and other insurgents
machines can be bribed. attention to the X-ray scan- in Syria.
A spokesman for Egypt’s ner, with one man repeat- “We have a rightful cause
Aviation Ministry, Mo- edly shouting, “This is what to help Syria in its fight
hamed Rahma, dismissed happened in Sharm!” against terrorism,” she
the accounts of inad- Meanwhile, the Mideast re- said.q
