IS publishes photo of ‘bomb that destroyed plane’

Its official magazine shows a picture of a Schweppes Gold soft drink can and what appear to be a detonator and switch.

Following the IS terror attacks in Paris, the terrorist organisation said it had exploited a loophole at Sharm al-Sheikh airport to smuggle a bomb on board an Airbus 321 on 31 October.

It said it had originally planned to bomb a plane from a country participating in US-led air strikes in Iraq and Syria, but had decided to target Russia when it began its own bombing campaign in Syria.

IS has claimed responsibility for the attack in written statements and audio and video messages on the internet.

Traces of explosives

Britain was the first country to say a bomb had destroyed the plane. It was not until yesterday, after the Paris attacks, that Russia corroborated this by revealing that traces of explosives had been found on the plane and on passengers’ belongings.

Most victims of the attack were Russian holidaymakers flying from Egypt to St Petersburg.

The Russian newspaper Kommersant said there was now evidence the bomb may have been placed in the main cabin of the plane, rather than the luggage hold, as originally thought.

The Egyptian authorities are reported to have detained two airport employees for questioning. An unnamed security official said 17 people were being held, two of them on suspicion that they helped someone plant the bomb on the plane.