IS insists it downed Russian plane but ‘not forced to reveal how’

The Islamic State terror group in Egypt, Wilayat Sinai, is insisting it downed the Russian passenger plane over Egypt’s Sinai peninsula on Saturday — killing all 224 people on board — but says it doesn’t have to reveal how it did it.

In an audio message published on social media, the group says: “We are the ones who downed it, thanks to God, and we are not forced to reveal how we downed it. ”

“Bring your black box, and do your analysis…prove we didn’t down it…we will reveal the way at the time we wish,” the message goes on.

The recording was titled: “We downed it, so die in your rage.”

Russian and Egyptian officials had dismissed the terror group’s claim of responsibility, but US officials said yesterday that US satellite systems detected heat around the plane before it crashed.

One of the officials said they ruled out a missile striking the Metrojet Airbus A321-200 because neither a launch nor an engine burn had been detected.The infrared activity that was detected could mean many things, including a bomb or that an engine on the plane exploded because of a malfunction.

An initial probe suggests that the plane, traveling at an altitude of some 30,000 feet, started breaking up mid-air.

The investigation is ongoing.