FSB says they do not believe Tu-154 crash was act of terrorism
Russia’s Federal Security Service, the FSB, stated that they have no indications that the crash of the Defense Ministry’s Tu-154 aircraft that killed 92 was an act of terrorism, TASS reported.
"We have got no signs or facts indicating that an act of terrorism or sabotage was committed onboard," the FSB said.
The security service noted that they are pursing four main lines of inquiry, none of which suggests terrorism or sabotage.
"The four main versions are an engine being hit by a foreign object, substandard fuel that caused the loss of thrust on and eventually stopped the engines, the pilot’s mistake and the plane’s technical failure," the FSB said.
The Tu-154 was carrying members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, the Russian military’s choir, who were en route to the Syrian city of Latakia to perform for the Russian Armed Forces during the New Year holidays. The aircraft went missing one minute after taking off from an airport on the Black Sea coast, where it had stopped to refuel. All 92 people onboard are presumed dead, though a large-scale search and rescue operation is still underway.