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Russian airliner carrying more than 200 passengers missing on flight over Egypt

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Kuros

Member
This is such a strange situation. The UK's seeming insistence it was a bomb is puzzling.

Not really. They probably have some direct intel from GCHQ which they won't share with the Egyptians/Russians as it gives away their capabilities.
 

Ushojax

Should probably not trust the 7-11 security cameras quite so much
This is such a strange situation. The UK's seeming insistence it was a bomb is puzzling.

Why? The most probable scenario based on the evidence and presumably their intelligence is that it was a bomb. The US have said the same thing. Egypt and Russia are just dancing around saying it because it escalates things on their end, they need to have everything in place before they announce their findings and the inevitable military consequences.
 
Russia made some very powerful enemies by going into Syria. ISIS is just one of them, and probably the least powerful and resourceful one.
 

KingSnake

The Birthday Skeleton
It's pretty obvious why would Egypt and Russia be reticent in announcing it was a bomb. In Egypt the tourism would be even more hit and Putin needs to have a reaction ready before announcement.
 
If this was a bomb this is very problematic for the Russians as it counters a lot of the propaganda they have been pushing.

-The Syria intervention was supposed to be a decisive one, defeating ISIS in short order with the best Russian military hardware which is of course the best in the world. The Arab world would be thankful for their help.
-After proclaiming for months the guilt for MH17 lay largely with the airline flying for over a warzone this is difficult to explain when it's their own plane this time
-The fact that a Russian plane and not one full of English or American tourists was the first one successfully blown up by terrorists in a long time also leads to a lot of awkward questions.
Is security in Egypt worse for Russian low budget airlines ?
How did ISIS manage to infiltrate a bomber into the airport so quickly he could strike a month after Russia got involved ?
If the terrorists were there already why did they not strike against the countries bombing ISIS ?
Was this a lone wolf who was angry at Russia for attacking non-ISIS rebels like Al Nusra ? Russia has been saying they are identical.
 

Irminsul

Member
Because it was, all the evidence point at it
It does? At least I haven't read anything about evidence that's only explainable by a bomb and not a technical malfunction, e.g. an explosion not caused by a bomb.

Also, if someone wants to claim something to be their work, wouldn't they publish information only the perpetrators could know before it's publicised by the authorities? But the IS didn't do that.
 

danowat

Banned
It does? At least I haven't read anything about evidence that's only explainable by a bomb and not a technical malfunction, e.g. an explosion not caused by a bomb.

Also, if someone wants to claim something to be their work, wouldn't they publish information only the perpetrators could know before it's publicised by the authorities? But the IS didn't do that.

What has happened is probably more explainable as a bomb, I am sure that Airbus would be having kittens if they thought the tail of an A321 has just fallen off without external forces.

The plane is question isn't particularly old (for a charter airline anyway) and although it has had maintenance for a tail strike in the past, said maintenance was done by Airbus themselves.

Sharm airport is very lax security was, the plane was on stand for 12hrs prior to the event, so there is opportunity.

The question is, if it wasn't a bomb, what was it.
 

Engell

Member
It does? At least I haven't read anything about evidence that's only explainable by a bomb and not a technical malfunction, e.g. an explosion not caused by a bomb.

these pictures looks like it was a bomb, big fragments combined with small fragments

WQViVVE.jpg
 

Mii

Banned
Egypt's crippled economy continues to worsen with UK and Russia totally pulled out of this tourist destination.

I wonder what things will be like for a militaristic government dealing increasingly with terrorist groups when it starts getting hard to pay the military.

I just hope we don't see ISIS target pyramids. That would be tragic.
 

danowat

Banned
Egypt's crippled economy continues to worsen with UK and Russia totally pulled out of this tourist destination.

They'll bounce back, I remember people saying the same after the bombs in Taba, Dahab and Naama Bay, or the massacre in Luxor.

There is a huge history of terrorism in the region.
 

Tarkus

Member
They'll bounce back, I remember people saying the same after the bombs in Taba, Dahab and Naama Bay, or the massacre in Luxor.

There is a huge history of terrorism in the region.
I can't that believe people would want to go on holiday to a place in such close proximity to danger. Last I heard there were 20000 Britons stranded there. Must be dirt cheap to go there.
 

Pedrito

Member
I can't that believe people would want to go on holiday to a place in such close proximity to danger. Last I heard there were 20000 Britons stranded there. Must be dirt cheap to go there.

It's fairly cheap and it's one of the best diving spots in the world.
 

danowat

Banned
I can't that believe people would want to go on holiday to a place in such close proximity to danger. Last I heard there were 20000 Britons stranded there. Must be dirt cheap to go there.

It is cheap, last year we had 10 days all inclusive for £300 each (inc flights), I've been there 4 times, weather is beautiful, diving is awesome, just a shame it's stuck on the coast of the Sinia, which is a very lawless place.

I've never felt unsafe there, security is pretty tight, and fairly militarized (technicals with 50cals are a common sight, as are AK47's!), but lax in the airport, and has been for YEARS, everything has a level of risk attached, and it's up to the individual to judge the risk.

I'm not suprised that this has happened, but the security issues are nothing new.
 

Undead

Member
I can't that believe people would want to go on holiday to a place in such close proximity to danger. Last I heard there were 20000 Britons stranded there. Must be dirt cheap to go there.

People will always go where they can get a cheap holiday (providing travel insurance covers the area) and like others have said, the lack of security in the airport is nothing new and there are many many airports around the world where security is just as bad or worse.
 
Egypt's crippled economy continues to worsen with UK and Russia totally pulled out of this tourist destination.

I wonder what things will be like for a militaristic government dealing increasingly with terrorist groups when it starts getting hard to pay the military.

I just hope we don't see ISIS target pyramids. That would be tragic.


The thought that my son could grow up and the pyramids only existing in history books is unbelievably depressing.
 

Brolic Gaoler

formerly Alienshogun
Egypt's crippled economy continues to worsen with UK and Russia totally pulled out of this tourist destination.

I wonder what things will be like for a militaristic government dealing increasingly with terrorist groups when it starts getting hard to pay the military.

I just hope we don't see ISIS target pyramids. That would be tragic.

The thought that my son could grow up and the pyramids only existing in history books is unbelievably depressing.

They have destroyed Ninevah, Jonah's tomb and other exceptionally important relics/places. It's already tragic
and there's no reason to believe the pyramids would be off limits. In fact, judging from how they have been, it's gonna be top of their list if they take over the area.
 
I don't think that we will hear much about how horrible ISIS are in Egypt if the USA are not looking for political support to send in ground troops. So the pyramids might be safe.
 

Calderc

Member
Sucks for Sharm. It's a great place to visit with absolutely superb diving and the locals are fucking awesome and damn friendly.
 

DrM

Redmond's Baby
Airbus investigators are certain that 'sudden, brutal event' took down the plane and that would mean explosion.
 

CHEEZMO™

Obsidian fan
Before people get ahead of themselves (too late, I know) I think it's worth stressing that explosive decompression =/= bomb, and for that matter neither does explosion.
 
They have destroyed Ninevah, Jonah's tomb and other exceptionally important relics/places. It's already tragic
and there's no reason to believe the pyramids would be off limits. In fact, judging from how they have been, it's gonna be top of their list if they take over the area.
You do realize that Egypt has the strongest military in the region, right?
 

DrM

Redmond's Baby
Are they saying it was a suspected bomb now?

Not directly, but pointing to that. Investigators are also probing the remains of the plane and cargo for explosive residue/damage.

Explosive decompression is still a possibility.
 

Guileless

Temp Banned for Remedial Purposes
No matter where in the world disaster shit goes down, there's always stranded tourists from the UK there on holiday. Or am I just imagining this?
 
If FSB confirms its a bomb by ISIS. Putin will Nuke ISIS. he doesn't care about collateral damage....and Obama will let him

and in the end maybe that is what is required. one army invasion or one strategic strike
 

darscot

Member
If FSB confirms its a bomb by ISIS. Putin will Nuke ISIS. he doesn't care about collateral damage....and Obama will let him

and in the end maybe that is what is required. one army invasion or one strategic strike

Nuke not a chance in hell, they may use this an excuse to eradicate them but they will not use nuclear power to do it.
 
If FSB confirms its a bomb by ISIS. Putin will Nuke ISIS. he doesn't care about collateral damage....and Obama will let him

and in the end maybe that is what is required. one army invasion or one strategic strike

lol calm down dude. No one's gonna nuke anybody.
I hope
 

darkinstinct

...lacks reading comprehension.
If FSB confirms its a bomb by ISIS. Putin will Nuke ISIS. he doesn't care about collateral damage....and Obama will let him

and in the end maybe that is what is required. one army invasion or one strategic strike

On what? ISIS is decentralized. That's why air strikes barely do any damage to them. A nuke won't do shit. 10 nukes won't do shit. And nobody is stupid enough to ever use a nuke again.
 

B-Dubs

No Scrubs
If FSB confirms its a bomb by ISIS. Putin will Nuke ISIS. he doesn't care about collateral damage....and Obama will let him

and in the end maybe that is what is required. one army invasion or one strategic strike

Nobody's going to nuke anybody. At the very most he'll invade the middle east and hunt ISIS down. Honestly, I'm not even entirely sure most of the Russian nukes are still in working order. They haven't exactly been great with maintenance since the fall of the USSR.
 

Jezbollah

Member
If FSB confirms its a bomb by ISIS. Putin will Nuke ISIS. he doesn't care about collateral damage....and Obama will let him

and in the end maybe that is what is required. one army invasion or one strategic strike

Oh, if only the solution was as easy as dropping one Nuke.
 
Nobody's going to nuke anybody. At the very most he'll invade the middle east and hunt ISIS down. Honestly, I'm not even entirely sure most of the Russian nukes are still in working order. They haven't exactly been great with maintenance since the fall of the USSR.


which is also what i wrote there. a military invasion. apart from a nuke.
 

Lego Boss

Member
If FSB confirms its a bomb by ISIS. Putin will Nuke ISIS. he doesn't care about collateral damage....and Obama will let him

and in the end maybe that is what is required. one army invasion or one strategic strike

No way. And there's no way the UNSC would sanction that. It's too dangerous a precedent.

Of course Putin could go rogue, but Russia are isolated enough, no-one's going to do business with a state using nukes.

'What, Poland sold us the wrong type of apples?! Nuke Warsaw'

It'll never happen. Thank God.
'
 
I doubt they would nuke ISIS. Let's be realistic here. I can see them stepping up their Syria game though to destroy ISIS and I say let someone else handle it for once.
 
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