Member of Homeland Security Committee Compares Russian Plane Crash to 9/11

A member of the House Homeland Security committee said this week that he believes it is highly likely the Islamic State was behind the recent downing of a Russian passenger airliner en route to Egypt, adding that such a tragedy is comparable to the United States' September 11, 2001 terror attacks in New York City.

Texas GOP Rep. Mike McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, recently told "Fox News Sunday" that he believes the recent attack, in which 224 passengers were killed, is comparable to the terrorist attacks in New York City in 2001 that killed nearly 3,000.

"All indicators are pointing to the fact that it was ISIS putting a bomb on an airplane," McCaul told the television program. "I have a high degree of confidence. It's been my gut (feeling) all along. [...] This is comparable to 9/11 for [Russia].

Other major world powers have also pointed to the Islamic State for being responsible for the recent downing of the Russian passenger airliner, which crashed while traveling over the Sinai Peninsula to an Egyptian resort town.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said in a statement last week that "We cannot be certain that the Russian airliner was brought down by a terrorist bomb, but it looks increasingly likely that that was the case."

President Obama added to the KIRO radio station last week that although his administration is not certain that there was a bomb aboard the plane, "I think there is a possibility that there was a bomb on board, and we're taking that very seriously."