Report: Islamic State shows image of bomb said to down Russian plane

MOSCOW, Nov 18 (PRIME) -- Islamic State published a picture of the bomb it said was used to down a Russian plane which crashed over the Sinai Peninsula last month, killing all 224 passengers on board and seven crew on board, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.

The image was shown in the latest online issue of Dabiq, the Islamic State’s magazine. The bomb, hidden in a soft-drink can, was smuggled onto the plane after the group breached security at Sharm El-Sheikh airport, Islamic State said. It said Russia was chosen as a target in retaliation for its intervention against militants in Syria, which began in September.

IS’s affiliate in Egypt had claimed downing the plane without specifying how it did so, while Egyptian authorities haven’t officially made an announcement on the causes of the crash. Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed this week that the plane was brought down by a bomb. He vowed to step up attacks on jihadists in Syria, where Russia’s air force has been backing President Bashar al-Assad’s army.

The Sinai bombing, together with last week’s attacks in Paris, have pushed Russia and Western nations toward joint action in Syria, overcoming a history of disagreement over who to support in the civil war.

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