It comes after the British government said there was a strong possibility an explosive device brought down the plane. Both Britain and Ireland have cancelled flights in and around Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh airport, where the plane took off.
An unnamed source is behind the latest development in the mystery over the crash of a Russian Metrojet airliner in Egypt's Sinai desert. A US intelligence official has reportedly said there is a "definite feeling" an explosive device was planted on the plane.
It crashed 22 minutes after take-off from Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh airport on the Sinai Peninsula. All 224 passengers and crew members, mainly Russians and a smaller number of Ukrainians, were killed in the crash.
US officials have been instructed not to travel to Sharm el-Sheikh to help with the inquiry on the ground. That has also ignited suspicion the US Pentagon believes it was a bombing backed by the self-proclaimed Islamic State, or IS. US State Department spokesman John Kirby has rejected those reports, saying a formal conclusion has not been reached.
"There have been, over time, extremist concerns over the Sinai. It's not new that there have been concerns about extremist activities in and around the Sinai. That's not a new development. In light of this plane crash, our embassy made the decision, as it is their responsibility, to limit -- to restrict, in this case -- US government employees from travelling to the Sinai. And I think, until we know more, I think that is the prudent thing to do."
Action from British authorities has been swift. Along with Ireland, Britain has temporarily cancelled flights in and out of the Egyptian holiday resort as a precaution. Egypt has called the move premature, but British foreign-affairs minister Phillip Hammond says it is highly likely a bomb caused the crash.
"We've reviewed all the information that we have available from a range of sources concerning the Russian aircraft crash in Sinai at the weekend. As a result of that review, we have concluded that there is a significant possibility that that crash was caused by an explosive device on board the aircraft."
The former director of intelligence operations for Britain's Secret Intelligence Service says all signs point to someone planting an explosive device. Nigel Inkster says it may have been planted in the luggage or on the plane.
"There are some things that we can reasonably confidently rule out as the causes of the crash of the Russian plane. One is a missile strike, because, put simply, there's no sign that terrorist groups operating in the Sinai area have missiles with that sort of range and capability. So if this was not a mechanical fault -- and that possibility hasn't yet been categorically ruled out -- then the only other obvious explanation is that it must have been some explosive device put on the aeroplane."
For a second time, the Sinai branch for IS has claimed it was responsible for shooting the plane down, but Egypt has dismissed that as propaganda. Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi will meet British prime minister David Cameron in London to discuss the matter.
British transport minister Patrick McLoughlin says the pair have already spoken over the phone.
"Safety will always be the priority, and that is why the Prime Minister last night called President Sisi to express concern and to ensure that the tightest possible security arrangements were put in place at Sharm el-Sheikh."
Investigators on the ground at Sharm el-Sheikh are analysing the flight data recording as another team also makes its way to the crash zone.
In London, Kingston University aviation expert Dr Anil Padhra says they will analyse security procedures in and around the airport.
"They'll be looking at how robust the perimeter fence is. They'll be looking at the process in which passengers get from, essentially, the end of the terminal building until they get onto the aircraft, and the number of security screenings that take place. Because, remember, it's not just passengers that are screened, but it's also cargo that is screened as well, and they'll be looking at the existing process that the Egyptian authorities at the airport have in place -- and what other safety measures can be put into place, what other levels of additional security can be put into place, as well."
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