Clapper: No Signs of Terrorist Intervention in Russian Plane Crash Yet

James Clapper, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, stated on Monday, November 2, that there is still no direct evidence of terrorist intervention in the crash of the Russian plane over the Sinai Desert. According to AFP, Clapper said in a conference in Washington that he finds it 'unlikely' that the Islamic State (ISIS) has the capability for such an attack. However, he emphasized that such a possibility cannot be completely ruled out. The Director of National Intelligence noted, 'We still do not have evidence or indications of direct terrorist intervention.' The National Intelligence Agency oversees 17 intelligence organizations in the U.S. A Russian Airbus A321, which was en route from Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt to St. Petersburg in Russia, crashed over the Sinai Desert on Saturday, killing all 224 passengers on board. Clapper mentioned that ISIS has claimed responsibility for the crash, but it is unclear if they were involved. Russia and Egypt had previously dismissed the possibility of ISIS's involvement in the crash. Meanwhile, Russian aviation officials stated that 'external' factors played a role in the crash. On Monday, Alexander Smirnov, a manager at Metrojet (Kogalymavia), the airline that owned the downed aircraft, said regarding the possible causes of the crash: 'Technical failure is ruled out, and human error was not the cause of the crash.' This comes after a Russian aviation official in Cairo stated on Sunday: 'The disintegration of the aircraft occurred in the sky, and parts of the plane were scattered over an area of 20 square kilometers.' In this context, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi also stated yesterday that it will take months to determine the real cause of the crash, and during this time, the Egyptian government will assist Russia in the investigations.