ISIS Operatives Boasted About Taking Down Russian Metrojet: U.S. Officials

Intelligence intercepts picked up chatter between ISIS operatives in the Sinai and ISIS leadership in Raqqa, Syria, boasting about taking down an airliner after the Russian Metrojet passenger plane crashed in the Sinai last weekend, killing all 224 passengers on board, U.S. officials told NBC News Friday.

The militants were "clearly celebrating" the takedown of the commercial airliner, one official said, noting details about how the plane was brought down were also intercepted, but the officials couldn't comment on that information.

Speculation about whether the plane was brought down by a bomb has heightened since the jet crashed Saturday. President Barack Obama said Thursday that it's possible a bomb brought down the plane while British officials believe someone with access to the cargo hold placed an explosive device on the plane prior to takeoff, the BBC reported Friday.

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