Thursday March 28th, 2024
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UK Government Suspends Flights From Sharm Amid Terror Fears

Thousands of Britons are stranded in the resort town of Sharm El Sheikh as the investigation into Russian jet crash continues.

Staff Writer

UK Government Suspends Flights From Sharm Amid Terror Fears

Just as Sisi arrived in the UK, the country's government announced late last night that it would be temporarily suspending all flights out of Sharm el-Sheikh airport. The decision was made after intelligence suggested ISIS planted a bomb on the Russian plane which crashed on Saturday, leaving 224 dead.

The BBC reports an estimated 20,000 Britons are currently in Sharm and at least 9,000 of those are vacationers that could be waiting to fly home.

Britain's foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, in regard to the Russian jet crash has said, “We have concluded that there is a significant possibility that the crash was caused by an explosive device on board the aircraft.” He later added, "We're working with the airlines and the Egyptian authorities now to put in place emergency short-term measures that will allow us to safely bring back the British tourists who are there in Sharm.”

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the Russian plane crash several times over the last week, but has yet to provide any concrete evidence of its involvement. However a US official explained to the Associated Press that they have reached a “tentative conclusion”, after intercepting communications, that the ISIS affiliated group in Sinai planted a bomb onboard the Russian plane.

More updates to come as the situation develops.