Islamic State releases photo of ‘Schweppes bomb’ that downed Russian airliner

Islamic State shows components purportedly used to blow up plane. It includes a soft drink can, an apparent detonator and a switch. Experts say it is feasible such a device could bring down a plane. Group also claims to have passports of Russian crash victims. Details are in group’s online magazine

November 19, 2015 09:34 am | Updated October 18, 2016 10:22 am IST - CAIRO

The Islamic State’s official magazine Dabiq carried a photo on Wednesday of what it said was the improvised bomb that brought down the Russian airliner over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula last month, killing 224 people on board.

The photo showed a can of Schweppes Gold soft drink and what appeared to be a detonator and switch on a blue background.

“The divided Crusaders of the East and West thought themselves safe in their jets as they cowardly bombarded the Muslims of the Caliphate,” Dabiq said. “And so revenge was exacted on those who felt safe in the cockpits.”

The IS also published a photo of what it said were passports belonging to dead Russians “obtained by the mujahideen”. The group said it had initially planned to bring down a plane belonging to a country participating in the U.S.-led coalition bombing it in Syria and Iraq but changed course after Moscow started its own air strikes campaign in Syria.

“A bomb was smuggled onto the airplane only a month after Russia’s thoughtless decision.” The Islamic State said on Wednesday it killed a Chinese and a Norwegian hostage, two months after it had demanded a ransom for the pair’s release.

Dabiq magazine featured graphic photos of what appeared to be the bloodied bodies of Chinese hostage Fan Jinghui and Norwegian Ole-Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.