Russian Plane Crash: Jet 'Could Have Been Brought Down By Explosive Device', Downing Street Says

Explosive Device May Have Brought Down Russian Plane, Downing Street Says
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Image released by the Prime Minister's office shows the tail of a Metrojet plane that crashed in Hassana, Egypt
ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Russian aeroplane which crashed in Egypt on Saturday "may well have been brought down by an explosive device", Downing Street has said.

All flights due to leave Sharm el-Sheikh for Britain this evening are to be put on hold to allow a team of UK experts to assess security arrangements in place at the airport, a spokesman for the Prime Minister's residence added.

Number 10 insisted that travel advice had not been changed, but that delays at the Egyptian airport were designed to "ensure the safety of British citizens on flights from Sharm".

A spokesperson commented: "We have been following the investigation closely to make sure that we take any steps necessary to ensure the safety of British citizens on flights from Sharm. That will always be our priority.

Story continues below slideshow

Russian plane crash
Egypt Russian Plane Crash(01 of42)
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In this Russian Emergency Situations Ministry photo, made available on Monday, Nov. 2, 2015 Russian and Egyptian experts work at the crash site of a Russian passenger plane bound for St. Petersburg in Russia that crashed in Hassana, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, on Monday, Nov. 2, 2015. A Russian cargo plane on Monday brought the first bodies of Russian victims home to St. Petersburg, from Egypt.(Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations photo via AP) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mideast Egypt Russian Plane Crash(02 of42)
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A Russian investigator walks near wreckage a day after a passenger jet bound for St. Petersburg, Russia, crashed in Hassana, Egypt, on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. The Metrojet plane, bound for St. Petersburg in Russia, crashed 23 minutes after it took off from Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday morning. The 224 people on board, all Russian except for four Ukrainians and one Belarusian, died. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) (credit:Amr Nabil/AP)
Russian airliner's crash site in Egypt's Sinai(03 of42)
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SUEZ, EGYPT - NOVEMBER 01: Egyptian officials inspect the crash site of Russian Airliner in Suez, Egypt on November 01, 2015. A Russian Airbus-321 airliner with 224 people aboard crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on yesterday. According to Egypts Civil Aviation Authority, the plane had been lost contact with air-traffic controllers shortly after taking off from the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh en route to St Petersburg. (Photo by Alaa El Kassas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russian airliner's crash site in Egypt's Sinai(04 of42)
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SUEZ, EGYPT - NOVEMBER 01: Egyptian officials inspect the crash site of Russian Airliner in Suez, Egypt on November 01, 2015. A Russian Airbus-321 airliner with 224 people aboard crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on yesterday. According to Egypts Civil Aviation Authority, the plane had been lost contact with air-traffic controllers shortly after taking off from the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh en route to St Petersburg. (Photo by Alaa El Kassas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russian airliner's crash site in Egypt's Sinai(05 of42)
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SUEZ, EGYPT - NOVEMBER 01: Egyptian officials inspect the crash site of Russian Airliner in Suez, Egypt on November 01, 2015. A Russian Airbus-321 airliner with 224 people aboard crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on yesterday. According to Egypts Civil Aviation Authority, the plane had been lost contact with air-traffic controllers shortly after taking off from the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh en route to St Petersburg. (Photo by Alaa El Kassas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
EGYPT-RUSSIA-AVIATION-ACCIDENT(06 of42)
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Egyptian army soldiers stand guard next to debris and belongings of passengers of the A321 Russian airliner that crashed the previous day in Wadi al-Zolomat, a mountainous area in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, on November 1, 2015. International investigators began probing why the Russian airliner carrying 224 people crashed in the Sinai Peninsula, killing everyone on board, as rescue workers widened their search for missing victims. AFP PHOTO / KHALED DESOUKI (Photo credit should read KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:KHALED DESOUKI via Getty Images)
Russian airliner's crash site in Egypt's Sinai(07 of42)
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SUEZ, EGYPT - NOVEMBER 01: Egyptian officials inspect the crash site of Russian Airliner in Suez, Egypt on November 01, 2015. A Russian Airbus-321 airliner with 224 people aboard crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on yesterday. According to Egypts Civil Aviation Authority, the plane had been lost contact with air-traffic controllers shortly after taking off from the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh en route to St Petersburg. (Photo by Alaa El Kassas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russian airliner's crash site in Egypt's Sinai(08 of42)
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SUEZ, EGYPT - NOVEMBER 01: A plane part is seen as the Egyptian officials inspect the crash site of Russian Airliner in Suez, Egypt on November 01, 2015. A Russian Airbus-321 airliner with 224 people aboard crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on yesterday. According to Egypts Civil Aviation Authority, the plane had been lost contact with air-traffic controllers shortly after taking off from the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh en route to St Petersburg. (Photo by Alaa El Kassas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
EGYPT-RUSSIA-AVIATION-ACCIDENT(09 of42)
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Egyptian army soldiers stand guard next to debris and belongings of passengers of the A321 Russian airliner that crashed the previous day in Wadi al-Zolomat, a mountainous area in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, on November 1, 2015. International investigators began probing why the Russian airliner carrying 224 people crashed in the Sinai Peninsula, killing everyone on board, as rescue workers widened their search for missing victims. AFP PHOTO / KHALED DESOUKI (Photo credit should read KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:KHALED DESOUKI via Getty Images)
EGYPT-RUSSIA-AVIATION-ACCIDENT(10 of42)
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Debris of the A321 Russian airliner lie on the ground a day after the plane crashed in Wadi al-Zolomat, a mountainous area in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, on November 1, 2015. International investigators began probing why the Russian airliner carrying 224 people crashed in the Sinai Peninsula, killing everyone on board, as rescue workers widened their search for missing victims. AFP PHOTO / KHALED DESOUKI (Photo credit should read KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:KHALED DESOUKI via Getty Images)
EGYPT-RUSSIA-AVIATION-ACCIDENT(11 of42)
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Debris of the A321 Russian airliner lie on the ground a day after the plane crashed in Wadi al-Zolomat, a mountainous area in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, on November 1, 2015. International investigators began probing why the Russian airliner carrying 224 people crashed in the Sinai Peninsula, killing everyone on board, as rescue workers widened their search for missing victims. AFP PHOTO / KHALED DESOUKI (Photo credit should read KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:KHALED DESOUKI via Getty Images)
EGYPT-RUSSIA-AVIATION-ACCIDENT(12 of42)
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Debris of the A321 Russian airliner lie on the ground a day after the plane crashed in Wadi al-Zolomat, a mountainous area in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, on November 1, 2015. International investigators began probing why the Russian airliner carrying 224 people crashed in the Sinai Peninsula, killing everyone on board, as rescue workers widened their search for missing victims. AFP PHOTO / KHALED DESOUKI (Photo credit should read KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:KHALED DESOUKI via Getty Images)
EGYPT-RUSSIA-AVIATION-ACCIDENT(13 of42)
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Egyptian army soldiers stand guard next to debris and belongings of passengers of the A321 Russian airliner that crashed the previous day in Wadi al-Zolomat, a mountainous area in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, on November 1, 2015. International investigators began probing why the Russian airliner carrying 224 people crashed in the Sinai Peninsula, killing everyone on board, as rescue workers widened their search for missing victims. AFP PHOTO / KHALED DESOUKI (Photo credit should read KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:KHALED DESOUKI via Getty Images)
EGYPT-RUSSIA-AVIATION-ACCIDENT(14 of42)
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Debris of the A321 Russian airliner lie on the ground a day after the plane crashed in Wadi al-Zolomat, a mountainous area in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, on November 1, 2015. International investigators began probing why the Russian airliner carrying 224 people crashed in the Sinai Peninsula, killing everyone on board, as rescue workers widened their search for missing victims. AFP PHOTO / KHALED DESOUKI (Photo credit should read KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:KHALED DESOUKI via Getty Images)
EGYPT-RUSSIA-AVIATION-ACCIDENT(15 of42)
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Debris of the A321 Russian airliner lie on the ground a day after the plane crashed in Wadi al-Zolomat, a mountainous area in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, on November 1, 2015. International investigators began probing why the Russian airliner carrying 224 people crashed in the Sinai Peninsula, killing everyone on board, as rescue workers widened their search for missing victims. AFP PHOTO / KHALED DESOUKI (Photo credit should read KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:KHALED DESOUKI via Getty Images)
Russian airliner's crash site in Egypt's Sinai(16 of42)
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SUEZ, EGYPT - NOVEMBER 01: A plane part is seen as the Egyptian officials inspect the crash site of Russian Airliner in Suez, Egypt on November 01, 2015. A Russian Airbus-321 airliner with 224 people aboard crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on yesterday. According to Egypts Civil Aviation Authority, the plane had been lost contact with air-traffic controllers shortly after taking off from the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh en route to St Petersburg. (Photo by Alaa El Kassas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russian Minister at Russian airliner's crash site in Egypt(17 of42)
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SUEZ, EGYPT - NOVEMBER 01: Russian Minister of Emergency Situations Vladimir Puchkov (3rd L) inspect the crash site of Russian Airliner in Suez, Egypt on November 01, 2015. A Russian Airbus-321 airliner with 224 people aboard crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on yesterday. According to Egypts Civil Aviation Authority, the plane had been lost contact with air-traffic controllers shortly after taking off from the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh en route to St Petersburg. (Photo by Mostafa El Shemy/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russian Minister at Russian airliner's crash site in Egypt(18 of42)
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SUEZ, EGYPT - NOVEMBER 01: Russian Minister of Emergency Situations Vladimir Puchkov (3rd L) inspect the crash site of Russian Airliner in Suez, Egypt on November 01, 2015. A Russian Airbus-321 airliner with 224 people aboard crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on yesterday. According to Egypts Civil Aviation Authority, the plane had been lost contact with air-traffic controllers shortly after taking off from the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh en route to St Petersburg. (Photo by Mostafa El Shemy/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Mideast Egypt Russian Plane Crash(19 of42)
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Egyptian security forces stand guard by debris of a Russian airplane at the site a day after the passenger jet bound for St. Petersburg, Russia crashed in Hassana, Egypt, on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. The Metrojet plane, bound for St. Petersburg in Russia, crashed 23 minutes after it took off from Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday morning. The 224 people on board, all Russian except for four Ukrainians and one Belarusian, died. (AP Photo) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mideast Egypt Russian Plane Crash(20 of42)
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Members of the Egyptian security forces walk around debris of a Russian airplane at the site a day after the passenger jet bound for St. Petersburg, Russia crashed in Hassana, Egypt, on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. The Metrojet plane, bound for St. Petersburg in Russia, crashed 23 minutes after it took off from Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday morning. The 224 people on board, all Russian except for four Ukrainians and one Belarusian, died.(AP Photo) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mideast Egypt Russian Plane Crash(21 of42)
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Russian investigators walk near debris, luggage and personal effects of passengers a day after a passenger jet bound for St. Petersburg, Russia crashed in Hassana, Egypt, on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. The Metrojet plane, bound for St. Petersburg in Russia, crashed 23 minutes after it took off from Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday morning. The 224 people on board, all Russian except for four Ukrainians and one Belarusian, died. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Russia Egypt Russian Plane Crash(22 of42)
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Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations paramedics stand next to their ambulance cars at a city morgue in St.Petersburg, Russia, Monday, Nov. 2, 2015. Metrojet's Airbus A321-200 crashed in the Sinai Peninsula on Saturday morning 23 minutes after taking off from Sharm el-Sheikh en route to St. Petersburg. All 224 people on board were killed, the vast majority of them Russians. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Russia Egypt Russian Plane Crash(23 of42)
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Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations employees gather for a briefing at a city morgue in St.Petersburg, Russia, Monday, Nov. 2, 2015. Metrojet's Airbus A321-200 crashed in the Sinai Peninsula on Saturday morning 23 minutes after taking off from Sharm el-Sheikh en route to St. Petersburg. All 224 people on board were killed, the vast majority of them Russians. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
APTOPIX Egypt Russian Plane Crash(24 of42)
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In this photo made available Monday, Nov. 2, 2015, and provided by Russian Emergency Situations Ministry, Egyptian Military on cars approach a plane's tail at the wreckage of a passenger jet bound for St. Petersburg in Russia that crashed in Hassana, Egypt, on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. The Russian cargo plane on Monday brought the first bodies of Russian victims killed in a plane crash in Egypt home to St. Petersburg, a city awash in grief for its missing residents. (Maxim Grigoriev/Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations via AP) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Egypt Russian Plane Crash(25 of42)
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In this Russian Emergency Situations Ministry photo, made available on Monday, Nov. 2, 2015 Egyptian soldiers collect personal belongings of plane crash victims at the crash site of a passenger plane bound for St. Petersburg in Russia that crashed in Hassana, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, on Monday, Nov. 2, 2015. A Russian cargo plane on Monday brought the first bodies of Russian victims home to St. Petersburg, from Egypt. (Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations photo via AP) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Egypt Russian Plane Crash(26 of42)
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In this Russian Emergency Situations Ministry photo, made available on Monday, Nov. 2, 2015 Egyptian soldiers collect personal belongings of plane crash victims at the crash site of a passenger plane bound for St. Petersburg in Russia that crashed in Hassana, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, on Monday, Nov. 2, 2015. A Russian cargo plane on Monday brought the first bodies of Russian victims home to St. Petersburg, from Egypt.(Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations photo via AP) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Egypt Russian Plane Crash(27 of42)
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In this Russian Emergency Situations Ministry photo, made available on Monday, Nov. 2, 2015 Egyptian soldiers collect personal belongings of plane crash victims at the crash site of a passenger plane bound for St. Petersburg in Russia that crashed in Hassana, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, on Monday, Nov. 2, 2015. A Russian cargo plane on Monday brought the first bodies of Russian victims home to St. Petersburg, from Egypt.(Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations photo via AP) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
APTOPIX Egypt Russian Plane Crash(28 of42)
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In this Russian Emergency Situations Ministry photo, made available on Monday, Nov. 2, 2015, Russian Emergency Ministry experts work at the crash site of a Russian passenger plane bound for St. Petersburg in Russia that crashed in Hassana, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, on Monday, Nov. 2, 2015. A Russian cargo plane on Monday brought the first bodies of Russian victims home to St. Petersburg, from Egypt.(Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations photo via AP) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Egypt Russian Plane Crash(29 of42)
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In this Russian Emergency Situations Ministry photo, made available on Monday, Nov. 2, 2015 Russian and Egyptian experts work at the crash site of a Russian passenger plane bound for St. Petersburg in Russia that crashed in Hassana, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, on Monday, Nov. 2, 2015. A Russian cargo plane on Monday brought the first bodies of Russian victims home to St. Petersburg, from Egypt.(Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations photo via AP) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Egypt Russian Plane Crash(30 of42)
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In this photo taken Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015 and provided by Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations Monday, Nov. 2, Russian Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Puchkov, left, talks with Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov, fifth right, as they inspect the wreckage of a passenger jet bound for St. Petersburg in Russia that crashed in Hassana, Egypt. A Russian cargo plane on Monday brought the first bodies of Russian victims killed in the plane crash in Egypt home to St. Petersburg, a city awash in grief for its missing residents. (Maxim Grigoriev/Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations via AP) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Russia Egypt Russian Plane Crash(31 of42)
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People gathered to lay flowers in memory of the plane crash victims at Dvortsovaya (Palace) Square in St.Petersburg, Russia, on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015. A Russian official says families have identified the bodies of 33 victims killed in Saturday's plane crash over Egypt. The Russian jet crashed over the Sinai Peninsula early Saturday, killing all 224 people on board, most of them were holidaymakers. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Russia Egypt Russian Plane Crash(32 of42)
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People gathered to lay flowers in memory of the plane crash victims at Dvortsovaya (Palace) Square in St.Petersburg, Russia, on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015. A Russian official says families have identified the bodies of 33 victims killed in Saturday's plane crash over Egypt. The Russian jet crashed over the Sinai Peninsula early Saturday, killing all 224 people on board, most of them were holidaymakers. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
RUSSIA-EGYPT-AIR-ACCIDENT(33 of42)
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A woman lights a candle at a makeshift memorial for the victims of the Russian MetroJet Airbus A321 crash on November 4, 2015 in Saint Petersburg. Russian airline Kogalymavia's flight 9268 crashed en route from Sharm el-Sheikh to Saint Petersburg on October 31, killing all 224 people on board, the vast majority of them Russian tourists. The Islamic State group claimed again on November 4 it was behind the October 31's Airbus A321 crash but there has been no evidence yet to support the claim and experts say a mechanical failure may have been the cause. AFP PHOTO / VASILY MAXIMOV (Photo credit should read VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:VASILY MAXIMOV via Getty Images)
RUSSIA-EGYPT-AIR-ACCIDENT(34 of42)
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A woman lights a candle at a makeshift memorial for the victims of a jetliner crash on Dvortsovaya square in St. Petersburg on November 3, 2015. Russian airline Kogalymavia's flight 9268 crashed en route from Sharm el-Sheikh to Saint Petersburg on October 31, killing all 224 people on board, the vast majority of them Russian tourists. Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has dismissed as 'propaganda' claims by a branch of the Islamic State group that they were responsible downing a Russian plane, the BBC reported on November 3. AFP PHOTO / OLGA MALTSEVA (Photo credit should read OLGA MALTSEVA/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:OLGA MALTSEVA via Getty Images)
Polish Tribute To Metrojet 9268 Flight Victims(35 of42)
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WARSAW, POLAND NOVEMBER 2: (SOUTH AFRICA AND POLAND OUT) Tribute to passengers and crew members of Metrojet flight 7K9268 on November 2, 2015 in front of the Russian embassy in Warsaw, Poland. Metrojet flight 7K9268, a chartered passenger flight from Sharm el-Sheik to Saint Petersburg, Russia, crashed in the Sinai Peninsula killing all 217 passengers and 7 crew members aboard. (Photo by Karol Serewis/ Getty Images Poland/ Getty Images) (credit:Gallo Images via Getty Images)
RUSSIA-EGYPT-AIR-ACCIDENT(36 of42)
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People look at a makeshift memorial for the victims of a jetliner crash outside Pulkovo International Airport in St. Petersburg on November 3, 2015. Russian airline Kogalymavia's flight 9268 crashed en route from Sharm el-Sheikh to Saint Petersburg on October 31, killing all 224 people on board, the vast majority of them Russian tourists. AFP PHOTO / VASILY MAXIMOV (Photo credit should read VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:VASILY MAXIMOV via Getty Images)
Russia Egypt Russian Plane Crash(37 of42)
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People grieve at an entrance of Pulkovo airport outside St. Petersburg, Russia, during a day of national mourning for the plane crash victims, on Monday, Nov. 2, 2015. In a massive outpouring of grief, thousands of people flocked to St. Petersburg's airport, laying flowers, soft toys and paper planes next to the pictures of the victims of the crash of a passenger jet in Egypt that killed all 224 on board in Russia's deadliest air crash to date. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
RUSSIA-EGYPT-AIR-ACCIDENT(38 of42)
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People lay flowers and light candles outside Pulkovo International Airport in St. Petersburg on November 2, 2015, in memory of the victims of a jetliner crash. Russian airline Kogalymavia's flight 9268 crashed en route from Sharm el-Sheikh to Saint Petersburg on October 31, killing all 224 people on board, the vast majority of them Russian tourists. AFP PHOTO / VASILY MAXIMOV (Photo credit should read VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:VASILY MAXIMOV via Getty Images)
CRIMEA-RUSSIA-EGYPT-AIR-ACCIDENT-MOURNING(39 of42)
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A man looks at candles and flowers in Simferopol on November 1, 2015 in memory of the victims of a jetliner crash. Russia mourned its biggest ever air disaster after a passenger jet full of Russian tourists crashed in Egypt's Sinai, killing all 224 people on board. A Russian airliner that crashed in Egypt broke up 'in the air', an investigator said on November 1, as the bodies of many of the 224 people killed on board were flown home. AFP PHOTO / MAX VETROV (Photo credit should read MAX VETROV/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:MAX VETROV via Getty Images)
Memory actions of Russian Plane crash in Egypt(40 of42)
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SAINT-PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - NOVEMBER 1: Russian people lay flowers, toys and light candles to memory of Russian plane accident in Egypt on October 31, at Dvortsovaya square in Saint-Petersburg, Russia on November 1, 2015. (Photo by Sergey Mihailicenko/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russian Passenger Plane Crashes In Egypt's Sinai(41 of42)
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SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - NOVEMBER 01: A woman holds a candle at a memorial for the victims of Airbus A321 crash at the Pulkovo Airport on November 1, 2015 in St. Petersburg, Russia. A Russian Airbus-321 aircraft with 224 people aboard crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on October 31. According to Egypts Civil Aviation Authority, the plane lost contact with air-traffic controllers shortly after taking off from the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh en route to St. Petersburg. (Photo by Alexander Aksakov/Getty Images) (credit:Alexander Aksakov via Getty Images)
Commemoration ceremony held for Russian Plane crash victims(42 of42)
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SAINT-PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - NOVEMBER 1: Russian people lay flowers, toys and light candles to commemorate Russian plane crash victims at Pulkovo airport in Saint-Petersburg, Russia on November 1, 2015. A Russian passenger plane with more than 200 people aboard crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Saturday. (Photo by Sergey Mihailicenko/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

"The Prime Minister called President Sisi yesterday evening to discuss what measures the Egyptians are taking to ensure the tightest possible security arrangements at Sharm el-Sheikh airport.

"While the investigation is still ongoing we cannot say categorically why the Russian jet crashed. But as more information has come to light we have become concerned that the plane may well have been brought down by an explosive device."

The spokesperson went on to say that UK aviation experts currently travelling to Sharm would assess the airport's security as a "precautionary measure".

The process is expect to be completed tonight, they added, but around 20,000 Britons remain in Sinai. Extra-consular assistance is reportedly being flown out to assist them.

A security source quoted by Sky News claimed that the intelligence which prompted David Cameron to take the decision he has tonight did not come from the wreckage of the plane.

It also emerged that Cameron will chair a meeting of the Government's COBRA emergencies committee at 6.45pm this evening to review the security situation.

Egyptian authorities have previously claimed the Metrojet Airbus A-321 was not shot down but instead broke up mid-air.

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Tributes paid to the killed passengers

Saturday's crash killed all 224 passengers on board - including 221 Russians and three Ukrainians, the majority thought to be tourists returning from their holidays.

Grief-stricken families have now identified 33 of the crash victims, as rescue teams in Egypt continue combing the Sinai desert for more remains and parts of the plane's fuselage.

Only one body has so far been released to a Russian family for burial, but the paperwork is almost complete on 22 others, meaning that many more families should soon get their beloved ones' bodies back.

Russians have still been seen sobbing in grief on Wednesday at the unruly pile of flowers, photos and stuffed animals left at the entrance to St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport.