An Egyptian group associated with ISIL has claimed responsibility for the tragedy, but has offered no evidence. The BBC reports that the group does not have the capability to bring down a plane and authorities are skeptical.
"I want to repeat that according to the data that we have available at the moment, based on our work contacts with the Egyptian side, the information asserting that the plane was shot down can not be considered reliable," Sokolov was quoted by the Russian newspaper Pravda. There is no evidence yet as to what caused the crash, though both black boxes have been recovered. Russia has opened a second investigation into the crash and authorities, including the head of the Russian Emergencies Ministry and Transportation Ministry, are heading to Egypt.