Egypt’s president dismisses terror claims for Russian plane crash

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the interview with The Telegraph has dismissed the claims that terrorism is to blame for the Russian passenger plane crash in the Sinai Peninsula over the weekend. The Egyptian leader condemned reports that the jet had been downed by a missile or a bomb as "unfounded speculation." He also said that making further comment on the incident was "premature and not based on any proper facts." Russian Kogalymavia’s A321 plane, en route from Egypt’s resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, crashed on October 31 some 30 minutes after its takeoff. The debris was found 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of the administrative centre of North Sinai Governorate, the city of Al-Arish. All 217 passengers and seven crewmembers were killed. Most passengers were Russian nationals. Among the people onboard were also four Ukrainian citizens and one Belarusian national.