Was it terrorism? Russia, Egypt, Britain and the US urge caution over air crash speculation

People in Russia, Egypt and Britain have their lives on hold as investigators determine what caused the crash of a Russian airliner in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Saturday. All 224 people on board the plane were killed.

Security concerns have grounded flights into and out of the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, leaving tourists stranded. "Everyone was due to go home, so we have nothing left," says British vacationer Amy Johnson, who was just winding up a week's holiday in the Egyptian resort when her flight was canceled. "People have no money, we've had to borrow sun cream from people we've met at the airport."

Families with small children have run out of diapers. "We've had to lend people money to buy their childrens' nappies."

The inconvenience to travelers masks a deeper concern.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said today, "We don't know for certain that it was a terrorist bomb, but it's a strong possibility." An American State Department spokesman said that the US had not yet made a determination about the cause of the incident. "However," he added, "we can't rule anything out…including the possibility of terrorist involvement."

And Kremlin authorities hold that it is too early to conclude a final cause. "They're saying 'Give it some time'," observes Moscow-based reporter Charles Maynes, who has been following the aftermath of the crash. He believes that the Russian government would prefer the cause of the crash be identified as a mechanical failure. And not payback for Russia's recent involvement in the Syrian civil war.

"Because the air campaign, that they've been holding for the past couple of weeks now, has been essentially – from a lot of Russian's perspective  – a quick, good war," he says. "They were trying to put an end to this and declare a quick victory," he adds.

If it is proven that the crash was caused by a bomb, the worry is that the Russians might be drawn further into the Syrian conflict.

Jonathan Marcus, the BBC's Defence & Diplomatic Correspondent, says hard facts are few and far between right now. "But what we do know is that there was sufficient concern from British intelligence for British Prime Minister David Cameron to temporarily halt all flights from Sharm el-Sheikh". 

Around 20,000 British holiday makers are believed to be currently at the resort, with many other nationalities also stranded. The British government advises against all but essential travel through all areas of the Sinai Peninsula exceptSharm el-Sheikh itself.  The Islamic State affiliate 'Sinai Provice' group is known to be extremely active in the area.

Tourist Amy Johnson prefers to see another side of Egypt and the vacation she planned for ten months. "It's been absolutely brilliant," she said while waiting for official word about when she would be able to finally fly home. "You can't fault the Egyptian people. They are lovely, and they will go out of their way for you. It's just such a shame that something so tragic happened, and it's going to have a massive effect on the tourist industry in Sharm el-Sheikh." 

Johnson loved her holiday, she says, but does not hesitate to add, "I personally would not return."

Today the British government released plans to repatriate the 20,000 British tourists currently stranded in the resort. Passengers will be flown home without their luggage. The decision has been widely seen as an emergency measure to increase security on flights and avoid the risk of unidentified packages on the flights.