This undated image made available in the Islamic State's English-language magazine Dabiq, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015 (AP)
ISIS claimed Wednesday that it planted "the bomb that downed the Russian airliner Airbus A-321" over Egypt's Sinai last month. However, they said targetting the Russian aircraft was not their "first choice."
ISIS first claimed responsibility for the downing of the Russian airliner over Egypt's Sinai on the same day of the deadly crash, 31 October.
The group said in their official propaganda magazine, Dabiq, that they were planning to originally target "a plane belonging to a nation in the American-led Western coalition" that is bombing the Islamist group's bases in Syria.
“And so, after having discovered a way to compromise security at the Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport and resolving to bring down a plane belonging to a nation in the American-led Western coalition against the Islamic State, the target was changed to a Russian plane,” ISIS said in Dabiq.
ISIS claimed they downed the Russian plane due to “Russia’s rash arrogant decision” to participate directly with its own air force in the war against the "Muslims of Al-Sham," in Syria, starting 30 September 2015.
ISIS's statements come one day after Russia said its own investigations showed that a bomb had ripped apart the Russian passenger jet, promising to hunt down those responsible and intensify its air strikes on Islamist militants in Syria in response.
Egypt, which has been waging a war against ISIS-affiliated Islamist militants in north Sinai for several years, has said it would take the Russian findings into consideration but stressed its own sovereign investigations must be completed before it could issue any judgement on the cause of the crash.
The group also released an image of the improvised explosive device they allegedly used to bring down the Russian airliner, killing all 224 people on board.
However, the relatively small size of the alleged device - a regular size soda can - might not hold the 1-kilogram TNT bomb Russia had said on Tuesday was used to bring down the airliner
The magazine also published images of alleged passports of the dead passengers, describing the passengers as "crusaders."
ISIS also hailed last Friday's coordinated attacks in Paris that killed 129 people.
“The blessed attacks against the Russians and the French were successfully executed despite the international intelligence war against the Islamic State. Both crusader nations had undoubtedly destroyed their homes with their own hands through their hostilities towards Islam, the Muslims,” ISIS stated.
ISIS called on every "believer barred from hijrah to purify himself from the branches of the lesser hypocrisy that hold him back from performing jihad in his location."
The group assured that their "Islamic State" will remain despite all the "crusaders’ military arsenal."
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