The Turkish Grey Wolves radical nationalist group may have been behind the crash of the Russian airliner brought down by a terrorist bomb over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula in October last year, the Kommersant newspaper reported Monday, citing an unidentified source in the Russian security services.
The Grey Wolves group first appeared in Turkey in the 1960s, currently operate in many Arab countries, including Egypt, and have links to the Islamic State terrorist organization, the newspaper reported.
One of the leaders of the organization took responsibility for killing the ejected pilot of a Russian Su-24 military plane after the aircraft was downed by a Turkish fighter jet near the Syrian border on Nov. 24.
The Russian airliner traveling from Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh resort to St. Petersburg crashed in the Sinai Peninsula as a result of a terrorist bomb on Oct. 31, killing all 224 passengers on board. The Islamic State, a terrorist organization banned in Russia, claimed responsibility for the attack.
If the involvement of the Grey Wolves is confirmed, Russia will demand that Turkey pay compensation to the relatives of the victims of the crash, the RIA Novosti news agency reported Monday, citing Victor Ozerov, the chairman of the Federation Council's defense and security committee.