A U.S. infrared satellite has detected a possible midair explosion on the Russian passenger plane that went down over Egypt on Saturday morning.
An American official told NBC News on Nov. 2 that the U.S. intelligence community believes the “heat flash” observed by the satellite might have been a type of explosion on the plane itself. The official theorized it may have been a bomb or a fuel tank explosion.
However, the imagery ruled out a surface-to-air missile attack, NBC reported.
“The speculation that this plane was brought down by a missile is off the table,” the official told NBC News, under the condition of anonymity. The satellite would have been able to detect a heat trail of a missile shot from the ground. Meanwhile, experts have dismissed the idea that ISIS has the capability to fire surface-to-air missiles that reach 30,000 feet, which is how high the plane was flying.
