Photo via Wikimedia Commons

On Wednesday, Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced that experts in the country now believe Metrojet Flight 9268 was downed by a terrorist attack.

According to Mostafa Hashem of Reuters, Sisi’s announcement during a televised speech marks the first time an Egyptian official admitted that the Russian plane crash was tied to terrorist activity after the country initially denied the connection since the 224 people onboard were killed.

READ MORE: IATA Reports Drastic Drop in Fatal Airline Accidents for 2015

One of the reasons Egypt took so long to admit terrorists took Metrojet Flight 9268 down is the feared implications such an admission would have on the county’s tourism industry, which is a cornerstone of the Egyptian economy.

Another suspected reason for the delay was concerns about family members of the victims seeking financial compensation from the Egyptian government, according to Reuters.

In November, Russian officials announced that their evidence suggested the plane was taken down by an explosion, likely caused by a bomb placed onboard by a terrorist. In response, Russia has stopped all civilian flights to Egypt indefinitely.

Sisi said the following during his speech, “Has terrorism ended? No, it has not, but it will if we unite. Whoever downed the Russian plane, what did he mean? He meant to hit tourism, and to hit relations with Russia.”

READ MORE: Egypt Re-Hires New York Advertising Agency to Help Boost Tourism

While ISIS has taken responsibility for the attack, saying that a small soda can was the explosive device used to take down the airplane, there are also reports that the bomb was reportedly brought onto the aircraft with the help of an EgyptAir mechanic.

Follow @Donald_Wood