(VOVworld) - US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Monday there is no direct evidence of terrorism being involved in the weekend crash of a Russian commercial airliner in Egypt, killing 224 people aboard.

No distress call before the plane disappeared from radar (photo:www.aljazeera.com)

Speaking at a Washington defense conference, Clapper said it is unlikely that the Islamic State has the capacity to carry out such an attack, but added he wouldn't rule it out.

A source on the committee that is analyzing the flight recorders said the plane was not struck from the outside and the pilot did not make a distress call before the plane disappeared from radar.

Russia’s Kogalymavia Airlines said the plane’ engines were checked on October 26. The airline said the flight crew did not record any technical concerns in their log book during the jet's last five flights. The airline officials completely ruled out a technical defect in the aircraft or an error by the pilots. They said the only plausible cause of the breakup of the airplane was a mechanical mishap or physical impact.