Ex-CIA official: Plane crash adds to sense ‘ISIS is winning’

Former Deputy CIA Director Michael Morell said Sunday that the crash of a Russian airliner in Egypt last weekend could “add to the perception that ISIS is winning.”

{mosads}There have been increasing signs that a bomb planted by ISIS is what brought down the airliner. Morell said intercepted conversations among senior ISIS members is pushing the assessment of the crash from possibly a bomb to “likely.”

“It’s going to add to the perception that ISIS is winning, and that has been a key strength of theirs in terms of attracting followers, attracting recruits,” Morell said. 

He added that the crash could also inspire al Qaeda to conduct attacks in an effort not to be overshadowed by ISIS, thinking, “We need to do something like this to keep our brand alive.”

Morell noted an ISIS attack against a hotel in Tripoli, Libya, in January that killed an American. 

“I think you’re going to see more of that kind of attacking, including attacks against Americans,” he said. 

Others on Sunday also said it is likely that ISIS planted a bomb on the plane that crashed in Egypt. 

“All indicators are pointing to the fact that this was ISIS putting a bomb on an airplane,” House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said on “Fox News Sunday.”