U.K. officials said intelligence agents intercepted communications suggesting Islamic State planned an attack on the Russian plane that crashed in Egypt’s Sinai desert Saturday, as Russia halted flights to the area and prepared to bring home thousands of its stranded citizens, like the U.K.
Two U.K. officials said the communications raised the government’s suspicions that a bomb was planted on the plane by the militant group or its sympathizers in Egypt, one of them saying the intelligence related specifically to the downing of the Russian airliner.Details of the intercepted chatter, including whether the transmission occurred before or after the crash, weren’t disclosed.
Britain had halted flights on Wednesday to the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh, where the flight originated, saying information coming to light increased the possibility that an explosive device was the cause of the crash.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said Thursday it was “more likely than not” a terrorist attack caused the crash. Hours later, President Barack Obama said there was a “possibility” that a bomb was on board the plane. But neither government has explained its reason for airing the suspicion, and Egypt and Russia have said they have reached no such conclusion.
Lack of any official determination of what caused the Russian-operated Airbus A321-200 with 224 people abroad to break apart shortly after taking off from Sharm El Sheikh sowed further confusion and chaos on Friday.
Besides suspending all Russian commercial flights to Egypt pending the outcome of the investigation into the causes of the crash, President Vladimir Putin ordered the country’s tourism officials to help bring home some 45,000 Russians vacationing in the southern Sinai.
Russian officials said the measures weren’t a government acknowledgment that an act of terrorism brought down the St. Petersburg-bound Kogalymavia charter flight carrying primarily Russian tourists.
“Work must be carried out in the most careful way with as much time as needed,” said Alexander Bortnikov, head of the Federal Security Service.
Egypt said it was shocked and surprised by Russia’s decision. “We have a safe and secure airport that is up to world-class standards,” said Emad Imam, chief spokesman for the Egyptian Airports Company.
Egypt is the number-one international tourist destination for Russians, who often escape the frosty weather by taking relatively inexpensive package trips to sunny destinations like Sharm el-Sheikh on the Red Sea coast. More than two million Russian tourists have visited Egypt so far this year.
The suspension of Russian flights deals a massive blow to Egypt’s tourism sector, which has just begun to recover following four years of dramatic decline sparked by the Arab Spring uprising of 2011. Its 3 million visitors last year helped Egypt’s tourism income grow to $7.5 billion in 2014 from $5.9 billion in 2013.
Also Friday, Turkish Airlines said that it had canceled flights over the weekend between Istanbul and Sharm El Sheikh.
The developments came as repatriation flights began for thousands of British citizens stranded in the seaside resort. The effort was mired in confusion.
Earlier Friday, British carrier easyJet PLC said Egyptian authorities had suspended the flights, a statement British and Egyptian authorities swiftly denied.
By late Friday, only eight of the planned 29 U.K.-bound flights had either left Sharm El Sheikh or were preparing to depart, Egypt’s aviation ministry said.
Hossam Kamal, the minister of civil aviation, said U.K.-bound planes were flying without checked baggage, and storage facilities at the airport couldn’t accommodate more than 120 tons of luggage left behind.
To relieve the backup and prevent a further slowdown of airport operations, authorities were planning to use a cargo plane to transport the luggage back to the U.K., he said.
The U.K. said a malfunctioning plane at the airport had caused the delays, and the scale of the task posed logistical challenges.
In airport waiting areas, frustrated British tourists heckled Britain’s U.K. ambassador to Egypt, John Casson, as he attempted to reassure them that all was being done to ensure their safe return home.
“We were told we’ll be going home today…What is the problem?” one female traveler asked.
“There are just challenging logistical issues involved in making sure that flights can leave and arrive in a busy airport in line with international regulations in a way that can be safe,” Mr. Casson said. “We are working through those issues, we have very good collaboration [with Egyptian authorities] and our expectation is to get as many people home as soon as possible.”
Amid heightened security measures, workers arriving at the airport were required for the first time to remove their shoes and belts as they passed through screening gates. Still, some passengers have complained that security at the airport is lax.
In a sign that baggage handling arrangements have become the focus of its security concerns, the U.K. government said returning passengers would be allowed to travel only with hand luggage, while checked baggage for security reasons would be transported aboard separate flights.
A team of British security experts was at the airport to assist in screening baggage, the British government said, adding that it was continuing to advise against any air travel to the resort.
Suspicion that Islamic State was responsible for downing the Russian jet could reinvigorate the British government’s push to extend its bombing campaign against Islamic State to Syria from Iraq, where the U.K. has been conducting airstrikes for more than a year.
Mr. Cameron has said he believes there is a strong case for Britain joining the aerial campaign in Syria but has met resistance from some lawmakers. U.K. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, one of the most vocal advocates of British airstrikes in Syria, said the case would be strengthened if Islamic State was responsible for the Russian crash.
Mr. Fallon met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi on Friday—the final day of the president’s first official visit to the U.K.—to discuss security issues, particularly in the wake of the Sinai crash.
Mr. Fallon offered U.K. support for further military training in Egypt, including on electronic counter measure and detection equipment, and the Defense Ministry also announced it would form a small military team in Egypt to better understand the Libyan and regional security issues.
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ByJENNY GROSSin London, PAUL SONNEin Moscow and DAHLIA KHOLAIF in Sharm El Sheikh. Nicholas Winning in London and Tamer El-Ghobashy in Cairo contributed to this article.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/easyjet-government-officials-at-odds-over-sharm-el-sheikh-flights-1446806976
Photo:Tourists queue up at check-in counters at the airport of Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh on Friday. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES