‘Schweppes Bomb’ used for blowing up Russian airliner mid air
The Islamic State has published a photo of a Schweppes soft drink can and what appeared to be a detonator and a switch on its online magazine Dabiq. The group claimed that it was a form of bomb that had been used to blow off the Russian aeroplane, killing all 224 people on board.
"The divided Crusaders of the East and West thought themselves safe in their jets as they cowardly bombarded the Muslims of the Caliphate," the Dabiq magazine, published in English, said. "And so revenge was exacted upon those who felt safe in the cockpits."
The photo taken against a blue background featured a can of Schweppes Gold soft drink, and what looked like a detonator and a switch, according to explosives expert Anthony May. However, the genuineness of the image has not yet been confirmed independently.
According to May, who is a retired explosives enforcement officer with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a hole through which a white substance can be seen in the picture. There is a possibility that the white substance could be explosives and the detonator was to be put through the hole. It had to be meant for suicide bombing, according to May, since the bomber would need to hit the single-throw rocker switch to blow off the bomb.
"It doesn't take much to bring down a plane in flight if it's placed in the most critical area of the aircraft, breaking the fuselage," he was quoted by the CNN as saying.
Though it can be easily detected in a security check at the airport since the can is made of metal, it is possible for an individual to carry them separately and reassemble them after it is through with the security check.
Reportedly, the ISIS was planning to bring down an airliner belonging to a country participating in the U.S. led airstrikes in Syria. However, the plan was changed after Russia started its own campaign.
Though the Western intelligence and Moscow are on the same line that suggests the plane had been brought down by bombing, the Egyptian government refused any criminal act involved in the incident.
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