Russia says bomb downed passenger plane in Egypt

Russia’s security service said Tuesday for the first time that last month’s crash of a passenger airliner in Egypt was caused by a homemade explosive device.

The security service, known as FSB, called it a terrorist act.

“According to our experts, a homemade explosive device equivalent to 1 kilogram of TNT went off onboard, which caused the plane to break up in the air, which explains why the fuselage was scattered over such a large territory. I can certainly say that this was a terrorist act,” FSB head Alexander Bortnikov said, according to the Associated Press.

The FSB said it was offering a $50 million reward for information leading to the perpetrators.

An Islamic State affiliate claimed responsibility for the attack that caused the death of 224 people.

People lay toys and flowers for victims of a Russian airliner which crashed in Egypt, outside Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg, Russia on Nov. 1, a day after the crash. Photo by Peter Kovalev/Reuters

Most of the people on board were Russian tourists visiting the Sharm el-Sheikh resort. Their airplane was heading back to St. Petersburg before it crashed in the Sinai Peninsula on Oct. 31.

The crash occurred after Russia stepped up its military support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s fight against terrorists.

The Russian government suspended flights to Egypt earlier this month amid security concerns.

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