Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 1
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iran's deputy foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, has raised the possibility of foreign intelligence services' involvement in Saturday's Russian plane crash in Egypt.
If the crash did not occur due to technical problems, then most likely some intelligence services should be held responsible for the incident, Amir Abdollahian said, as reported in Iran's semi-official Fars news agency on Nov. 1.
He made the remarks while commenting on the Islamic State (IS, aka ISIL, ISIS or Daesh) group's claim of responsibility for the disaster.
Wilayat Sinai, a militant group affiliated with Islamic State in Egypt, claimed responsibility for the downing of the Russian plane carrying 217 passengers and 7 crew members near Nekhel in the northern Sinai on Oct. 31.
Egypt's north Sinai is home to a two-year-old Islamist insurgency where militants affiliated with Wilayat Sinai have killed hundreds of soldiers and police.
In response to the claims of responsibility, Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov refuted the militants' announcement.
The Iranian deputy foreign minister also said that "the Daesh terrorist group is not capable of shooting down a passenger plane at high altitudes."
The intelligence services of countries both inside and outside the region which are opposed to Russia's air strikes in Syria should be held responsible for the crash, if it did not occur due to technical problems, Amir Abdollahian argued.
Follow the author on Twitter: @UmidNiayesh