Egypt says to consider Russian findings over plane crash

Egypt said Tuesday that it would consider Russia's latest findings that the Russian airliner crashed over Egypt's Sinai due to a terrorist attack, according to the official MENA news agency.

Earlier on Tuesday Moscow confirmed that a bomb attack brought down the Russian passenger jet in late October and killed all 224 people on board. Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed vengeance and massive anti-terror campaign in Syria.

Egypt said it will "take into consideration the investigations conducted by the Russia side once they are provided and will be included in the thorough investigation done by a committee formed of all international concerned parties," according to a cabinet statement.

Egypt has asserted full cooperation with Russia in eliminating terrorism.

Egypt's civil aviation minister told a news conference on Tuesday that the official 47-member investigation panel has not yet reached any firm conclusion on the Russian plane tragedy.

The committee consists of Egyptian, Russia, French and German experts and several other airline consultants.

The plane crash has eventually led some states, including Britain and Russia, to suspend their flights to Egypt's Red Sea resort Sharm el-Sheikh and to evacuate their nationals from there over a possibility that a bomb was behind it.

The Sinai-based branch of the regional Islamic State (IS) militant group has claimed responsibility for the Russian plane crash, which, though, had been strongly refuted by both Egypt and Russia.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that the country has enhanced all security measures in all airports nationwide in cooperation with international experts and airline representatives.

The Russian findings came a few days after deadly terror attacks in Paris killed at least 129 people and wounded more than 300, for which the IS has also claimed responsibility. Endit