Page 3 - ARUBA TODAY 7 NOV 2015
P. 3
up front A3
Saturday 7 November 2015
In shift, Russia suspends flights to Egypt, citing security
JIM HEINTZ a bomb might have been Egyptian soldiers guarding the entrance to the Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport gesture
MERRIT KENNEDY aboard the aircraft. The to a photographer in south Sinai, Egypt, Friday, Nov. 6, 2015. The sign has a picture of Egyptian
Associated Press Russians and Egyptians President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and a slogan in Arabic which reads, “Long Live Egypt.” Security
MOSCOW (AP) — In an called that premature, has been tightened because U.S. and British officials fear a bomb might have blown up a
abrupt turnaround, Russia saying the investigation Metrojet flight in midair Saturday, killing all 224 people onboard. (AP Photo/Thomas Hartwell)
on Friday suspended all had not concluded.
passenger flights to Egypt After Britain suspended its sia regards terrorism as the White House spokesman of an explosion can be
after days of resisting U.S. flights to and from Sharm main theory. Putin and el- Josh Earnest said the new distinctly heard during the
and British suggestions that el-Sheikh, Prime Minister Sissi spoke by telephone a protocols apply to fewer flight.” France’s BEA acci-
a bomb may have brought David Cameron said it was few hours after the suspen- than 10 overseas airports dent investigation agency
down a Russian plane in “more likely than not” that sion was announced, and in “the region in which the said it could not confirm
the Sinai Peninsula a week the cause was a bomb. they agreed to cooperate Sinai Peninsula is located.” the report.
ago. President Barack Obama further in order to “confirm Wreckage from the Me- There was chaos, confu-
The move dealt a sharp also said the U.S. was tak- the overall effectiveness of trojet plane was brought sion and frustration at the
blow to both countries’ ing “very seriously” the the security measures tak- to Moscow to be tested Sharm el-Sheikh airport as
tourism sectors amid fears possibility that a bomb en by Egyptian authorities for any trace of explosives, Britain struggled to bring
about security in Egypt. brought down the plane at the airports of the coun- according to Emergency home some 20,000 of its
Russia’s federal aviation in the Sinai, where Egyp- try,” the Kremlin said in a Situations Minister Vladi- nationals stranded since
agency said airlines would tian forces have been bat- statement. mir Puchkov. The samples London halted its flights
be allowed to send empty tling an Islamic insurgency The U.S. Homeland Security came “from all parts where earlier in the week.
planes to bring home trav- for years. As the suspicions Department announced traces of explosives could London approved the re-
elers, but it was unclear grew, Russia appeared new procedures that will be,” he said in televised sumption of British flights
when the Russians in Egypt, unwilling to countenance include expanded secu- comments. to Sinai starting Friday and
estimated to number at the possibility, and Egyp- rity screening of items put France 2 TV, citing an in- planned a wave of flights
least 40,000, would be able tian officials played down on commercial jets, airport vestigator who had ac- to retrieve its stranded na-
to return home as planned terrorism as a cause of assessments and offers of cess to one of the Metro- tionals, but it banned pas-
from the Red Sea resorts in- the crash, with President security assistance for cer- jet plane’s flight recorders, sengers from checking lug-
cluding Sharm el-Sheikh. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi calling tain international airports. reported that “the sound gage on the flights.q
Within hours of the Oct. 31 the IS claim “propaganda”
crash of the Metrojet Air- designed to embarrass his
bus 321-200 that killed all government.
224 aboard — mostly Rus- But on Friday, the head of
sians — a faction of the Is- Russian intelligence, Alex-
lamic State militant group ander Bortnikov, recom-
claimed to have downed it mended a suspension of
in retaliation for Moscow’s all flights to Egypt “until we
airstrikes that began a determine the real reasons
month earlier against fight- of what happened,” and
ers in Syria. The claim was President Vladimir Putin
initially dismissed on the quickly agreed.
grounds that the IS affiliate The flight suspension order
in Egypt’s troubled Sinai would last until “a proper
region didn’t have missiles level of aviation security is
capable of hitting high-fly- in place,” Kremlin spokes-
ing planes. man Dmitry Peskov said,
British and U.S. officials, denying it will run until the
guided primarily by intelli- investigation was finished.
gence intercepts and sat- He added that it “defi-
ellite imagery, suggested nitely doesn’t mean” Rus-
US adding air security ‘enhancements’ amid crash probe
ALICIA A. CALDWELL fected. Airbus A321-200 crashed dance of caution given airports.
Associated Press White House spokesman shortly after takeoff from the information that U.S. of- Michael Balboni, a security
WASHINGTON (AP) — Josh Earnest said the new the Sharm el-Sheikh airport ficials have learned about expert and former deputy
The U.S. Homeland Security protocols apply to fewer in Egypt on Saturday, killing this airline disaster in the Si- secretary for public safety
Department announced than 10 overseas airports all 224 people on board. nai Peninsula,” Earnest said for New York state, said
Friday a series of new se- in “the region in which the There are no direct flights Friday. there are significant dif-
curity efforts aimed at in- Sinai Peninsula is located.” from that airport to the British Prime Minister Da- ferences in the scrutiny of
ternational airports in the He said the affected air- United States. vid Cameron said he has airport workers at overseas
wake of the crash of a Rus- ports already have coop- Though the investigation is grounded all British flights airports than in the United
sian jetliner over Egypt’s Si- erative relationships with ongoing, President Barack to and from the Sinai Pen- States. And in the wake of
nai Peninsula. the United States. Obama has said the U.S. insula because of “intel- the downing of the Russian
DHS Secretary Jeh John- The new security proce- is taking “very seriously” ligence and information” flight, those gaps are likely
son said the latest secu- dures will include expand- the possibility that a bomb that points to a bomb as to gain renewed attention.
rity protocols will focus on ed security screening of caused the crash. the probable cause of the “Everything needs a re-
commercial flights bound items put on commercial “These measures are not crash. fresh,” Balboni said. “Secu-
for the United States from jets, airport assessments being taken in response On Friday, Russia an- rity is never a destination,
certain overseas airports in and offers of security assis- to a specific threat to the nounced that it will sus- it’s a journey. You have to
the region. He did not say tance for certain airports. homeland but it is the pru- pend all flights to Egypt un- change it up, you have to
which airports will be af- Russian carrier Metrojet’s dent exercise of an abun- til security is improved at its refresh it.”q
