All indicators point to Islamic State attack on Russian plane: U.S. lawmaker

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Representative Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said on Thursday evidence so far indicates there was an Islamic State bomb attack on the Russian passenger plane that crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. McCaul acknowledged another theory - that the plane's tail had been worked on several years ago and may have broken off or otherwise failed - had not been ruled out. "But I think the more likely scenario where all indicators seem to be pointing, is that this was an ISIS attack with an explosive device in the airplane," McCaul told Fox News, using a common acronym for the militant group. McCaul was asked if the crash could be linked to a call this week by al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri for Islamic militants to unite to fight Russia and the West in Syria and Iraq. McCaul noted it was Islamic State, not al Qaeda, that claimed credit for Saturday's plane downing, which killed 224 people. "I think this possibly could have been in the works for quite some time though, in terms of plotting," McCaul said. "And the other question is, how did this thing get on the airplane?" McCaul said if Islamic State militants were behind the attack, it should cause Russia to rethink its focus in Syria and use its weapons against the militant group rather than to support President Bashar al-Assad. He also called for tougher U.S. efforts against the militant group. "I think that we need to step up this war on terror against ISIS because if it's a Russian airline today it could be an American airline tomorrow," McCaul told Fox. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Lisa Lambert)