Russia and Egypt on the Sinai crash

The BBC has an article about the investigation into the Russian crash:

Russia and Egypt have urged caution over suggestions from the UK and the US that a Russian airliner that crashed in Sinai, killing 224 people, may have been bombed.
The Russian foreign ministry said it was "shocking" that Britain had not shared the evidence. Militants linked to ISIS have claimed they brought the plane down.
A number of countries have restricted travel to the Sharm el-Sheikh resort, from where the plane had departed.
The Metrojet Airbus 321, bound for St. Petersburg and carrying mostly Russian citizens, crashed in the Sinai desert just 23 minutes after take-off from Sharm el-Sheikh.
Russian officials working at the crash site have collected passports from the wreckage.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron said "intelligence and information" available to his government suggested that a bomb was "more likely than not" to have brought down the airliner. He and Russian President Vladimir Putin recently spoke by phone.
The UK government announced it would start to repatriate thousands of Britons who were stranded after the UK suspended all flights to and from the Red Sea resort. Passengers will only be allowed on board with hand baggage, while hold luggage will be transported separately, a spokesman said.
Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, at 10 Downing Street for talks during his first official visit to the UK, said earlier that Egypt was completely ready to co-operate "with all our friends" over security measures at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport. The Egyptian leader said British experts examined procedures at the airport ten months ago, and were happy with what they found.
Cameron said that the UK and Egypt were "working intensively together". His role was to "act in the right way" to keep British citizens safe and secure, he said.
The White House said that "some information has been learned" that supports Britain's suspicions that a bomb was responsible for the plane crash. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that nothing can be ruled out, "including terrorist involvement". He said that a review of safety for commercial flights bound for the US is taking place, and an announcement will soon be made by the Department of Homeland Security.
The IS-affiliated Sinai Province, which emerged in 2011, reiterated its claim of responsibility: "We brought it down by Allah's help, but we are under no obligation to reveal the mechanism we used," an audio statement circulating on social media said.
Egypt's Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou described the British decision to cancel all flights as "unjustified".
Egypt is leading the investigation into the air disaster, with the help of Russian and other foreign experts. They will examine the wreckage for traces of explosives, but would not reach their first conclusions for a few months, said Alexander Neradko, head of Russia's aviation agency.
In other developments, German airline Lufthansa says its subsidiaries Edelweiss and Eurowings are halting flights to Sharm el-Sheikh as a "precautionary" measure and will arrange other return flights.
Belgian airline Jetairfly postponed its flight from Brussels to the Egyptian resort for 24 hours while it analyzed the security situation. Both France and the Netherlands are advising their citizens against travel to and from the Sharm el-Sheikh airport.
Ireland and the UK announced the suspension of all flights to the resort on Wednesday, but the UK later said it would start to repatriate Britons on Friday. 

Lyse Doucet, BBC News, in Cairo, Egypt:
The timing of Britain's statement on the air crash could not have been worse, just as President Sisi was arriving in London for his first official visit. A senior official in his delegation told me this morning they were not told in advance. He said this would be one of the most important topics in today's meeting between the two leaders, and would have an impact on other issues. We won't be as receptive, is how he put it.
Egyptian officials say they had responded to every British request for extra security at the Sharm el-Sheik airport, including additional troops in and around the airport.
This is a hugely embarrassing moment for the Egyptian authorities but, if it is proven that a bomb was on board the plane, they also face troubling questions about their ability to maintain security in the midst of significant threats.
Metrojet, also known as Kogalymavia, earlier this week blamed "external influence" for the crash, but the head of Russia's aviation agency said such talk was premature. On Thursday, the airline suspended all flights of Airbus A321 jets in its fleet. The Russian press has been playing down the idea that Islamist militants might be targeting Russia over its aerial bombing campaign in Syria.
A senior member of Russia's upper house of parliament, Konstantin Kosachev, was quoted as saying that Britain's move was "politically motivated by its opposition to Russia's actions in Syria".
On Thursday, the first funeral for a victim of the crash was held in Russia. Nina Lushchenko, a sixty-year-old school employee, was buried in Veliky Novgorod, south of St. Petersburg. 

Sarah Rainsford, BBC News, in St. Petersburg, Russia:
Anxious for information, Olga Ovechkina and other relatives now come to a hotel near the airport each day. It has become the headquarters for an emergency response team. Raw-eyed relatives wander the lobby here or sit quietly and cry. Dozens of psychologists are on hand to offer comfort, themselves clearly drained by the experience.

Rico says that, as the saying goes, they do not know with whom they fuck... (But why 'several months' delay on the question of explosives; the FBI could do a chemical swipe and know in minutes...)