A vile crime that bombing

WHOEVER bombed the Russian airliner over Sinai on Oct 31 must be having a laugh watching the chaotic reaction of the great powers.

It increasingly appears that the Russian Metroliner A321-200 Airbus was downed by an explosion. Curiously, no traces of explosive residues have yet been found – or at least yet reported. There remains the smaller probability that the aircraft’s tail may have fallen off as the result of metal fatigue caused by a ground collision over a decade ago.

Egypt, whose vital tourist industry has been battered after bloody repression of opponents of its brutal military dictatorship, refuses to admit a bomb was involved. The crash was due to poor maintenance, claims Cairo.

Sharm el-Sheik, the Metroliner’s departure point, is Egypt’s primary resort for budget travellers. An estimated 20,000 Britons and 40,000 Russians were at the isolated resort or in Cairo. Even so, Egypt’s once thriving tourist industry is down by over 50%.

Briton’s prime minister, David Cameron, ordered British tourists at Sharm el-Sheik home. But the cheap charter flights to evacuate them were denied landing rights by Egypt which was eager to downplay the crisis. This mess will eventually be sorted out but the damage to Egypt’s tourist industry was done.

After refusing to admit that a bomb had downed the Russian A321, and rebuking US President Barack Obama for suggesting sabotage, Russia’s president, Vlad Putin, caved in and ordered the 20,000 Russians in Egypt home. A huge airlift is under way – though the travellers will have to leave their luggage behind for “later shipment” – ie kiss your bags goodbye.

Egypt’s dictator al-Sisi is furious at Britain and Russia. Western media is filled with stories about Egypt’s loosey-goosey airport security. Some years ago, when my luggage didn’t show up at Cairo, I went out on the tarmac, climbed into the baggage hold of the aircraft, and retrieved my bag from the dark interior.

Actually Egypt is one of the world’s harshest police states with a huge army, police force and secret police, the dreaded “mukhabarat”. Whipping with electrical cables and anal rape are two of its favourite techniques.

It would be hard for Cairo to further increase security.

The most likely scenario at Sharm el-Sheik was the bomb was secreted aboard the aircraft by a baggage handler or catering staff. Sinai is in rebellion against Cairo. Many Sinai inhabitants look to the local Islamic State as a legitimate liberation movement against Egypt’s US and Saudi-backed junta which has been also getting very chummy with Moscow.

What better way to poke the eye of Cairo, Washington, and Moscow than by downing a Russian airliner over Egypt.

Comments: letters@thesun

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