European investigators, who analysed the two flight recorders from the Russian Metrojet plane that went down on Saturday in Egypt, are categorically saying the crash is not an accident.
The investigators said the cockpit voice recorder showed an explosion and the flight data recorder confirmed that the explosion was not accidental — there is no sign of mechanical malfunction during the initial part of the flight, the CNN said, citing affiliate France 2 report.
Everything is fine during the first 24 minutes, then in a fraction of a second there is a blackout and no more cockpit conversation, convincing investigators there was a bomb on board, the investigators stated.
Earlier on Friday, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, agreed to suspend Russian air traffic with Egypt until the cause of the crash of Metrojet Flight 9268 can be determined, the Kremlin said.
“Putin has accepted the recommendations of the National Anti-Terrorist Committee to suspend flights with Egypt. … The President has also instructed to provide assistance to Russian citizens to return from Egypt. In addition, the President has instructed to engage with the Egyptian side to ensure the safety of air traffic,” the Kremlin said.
The United States and Britain shared their intelligence with Russia concerning the Metrojet crash before Putin made the decision to suspend flights, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN.
The airliner, carrying mostly Russian families returning from Red Sea vacations, was 23 minutes into its flight on Saturday from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, Russia, when it disappeared from radar over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. A U.S. satellite detected a heat flash over Sinai. The plane broke apart and fell 30,000 feet. All 224 passengers on board died.