Summary Britain said it was concerned that a Russian airliner in Sinai may have been downed by a bomb.
LONDON (AFP) - Britain said Wednesday it was concerned that a Russian airliner which crashed in Sinai may have been downed by a bomb, prompting it to temporarily suspend flights from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
"While the investigation is still ongoing we cannot say categorically why the Russian jet crashed," Prime Minister David Cameron s office said in a statement.
"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 announcement came during a visit to Britain by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and four days after the Russian Airbus crashed in Sinai, killing all 224 people on board, shortly after taking off from Sharm el-Sheikh.
Militants from the Islamic State group have said they were responsible for downing the plane but provided no details, prompting scepticism about the claim.
British aviation experts have been dispatched to Sharm el-Sheikh to assess the security situation and flights back to Britain from the resort are being held until the assessment is completed as expected later on Wednesday, the statement said.
"We recognise that this information may cause concern for those in Sharm and indeed for those planning to travel to Sharm in the coming days," Downing Street said.
"We have deployed extra consular staff to Sharm who will be on hand at the airport, working with the airlines, to assist British holidaymakers there."
"We would underline that this is a precautionary step and we are working closely with the airlines on this approach," the statement said.
Cameron will also hold an emergency cabinet meeting on the issue on Wednesday.
The statement did not mention if any restrictions would be made on flights to Sharm, as compared to flights from the resort.
Around 900,000 Britons travel to Egypt every year and at least two flights had been due to leave Sharm el-Sheikh for British airports later on Wednesday. There were no more scheduled flights from Britain to the resort on Wednesday.
The BBC estimated there were around 2,000 British holidaymakers currently in Sharm el-Sheikh.
