AKIPRESS.COM - Egypt said Monday it has not yet found any sign of terrorism in the deadly Oct. 31 crash of a Russian passenger jet in the Sinai desert, a preliminary finding that conflicts with Russian, U.S. and British statements that they believed a bomb on the aircraft probably was to blame.

The vaguely worded Egyptian statement reflected the deep reluctance among government authorities to point to the possibility of a bomb, and the implication of lax security at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport, where the Metrojet plane took off.

The Airbus A321-200 broke apart 23 minutes after departing the Red Sea resort for St. Petersburg, killing all 224 people aboard. The crash led Russia to halt all flights to and from Egypt, while Britain suspended flights to and from the resort. The actions inflicted a heavy blow to Egypt's vital tourism industry.

Several officials involved in Egypt's investigation told The Associated Press that security gaps at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport were making finding a culprit more difficult, including poor video surveillance and the number of people who could enter the facility with only limited searches.

The head of Egypt's main investigation, run by the Civil Aviation Ministry, said its inquiry so far has found no evidence of any "illegal or terrorist act." Its preliminary report has been given to other countries involved, and it is continuing its work, said chief investigator Ayman el-Muqadam.

He also complained that the countries contending a bomb was to blame have not given his investigators "any information indicating unlawful interference" with the plane.

The head of the prosecution-led investigation, Emad el-Dahshan, told AP, "We have no suspects." He said video surveillance of the airport showed nothing.

The results of the tests have not been made public.

One of the officials involved in the investigation said 35 airport employees entered the facility on Oct. 31 with lunch bags that were not X-rayed.

Airport employees with access to the Metrojet plane have been interviewed multiple times by investigators, asked mainly about their movements Oct. 31 and whether they saw anything suspicious, the officials said. No one has been put under official investigation.