A British plane carrying 189 passengers came 'within 1,000ft' of a rocket as it approached Sharm El Sheikh, it emerged last night.

The Thomson flight from London Stansted only took evasive action after the pilot spotted the missile speeding through the air.

The jet landed safely, and holidaymakers were not told they had been seconds from disaster.

The revelation comes amid claims British jihadists had spoken about an Islamic State 'mole' at Sharm el-Sheikh airport minutes after a Metrojet plane crashed in Sinai, killing all 224 on board.

A British plane carrying 189 passengers came 'within 1,000ft' of a rocket as it approached Sharm El Sheikh, it emerged last night

Possible proof: A picture of one of the crashed Airbus A321's doors show it bearing 'pockmarks' on the inside, which could be evidence of shrapnel from a bomb that has gone off inside the plane

Whitehall sources revealed that, in the days after the Russian airliner (pictured) was downed last weekend, they trawled back through communications data intercepted on suspects in Syria and Egypt

Intelligence: Drone footage shared showed an aerial view of the Metrojet crash site in Sinai, Egypt on Tuesday, which British spies believe was from a bomb in the hold

According to the Sun, British extremists were discussing details of the plot in online 'chatter' picked up by US intelligence officers.

Sources told the newspaper there was suggestion there might still be an Islamic State agent active in Sharm el-Sheikh airport.

Meanwhile, US news outlet NBC said American officials had heard leaders from the terror group boasting about the downing of a Russian passenger jet over Egypt.

Citing unnamed officials, the report said ISIS chiefs in Raqqa, Syria, were heard speaking to an affiliated group in the Sinai Peninsula about taking down the plane and how it was done.

An intercepted message from the group also warned of 'something big in the area' before the crash.

The Department for Transport confirmed the Thomson near-miss incident took place on August 23 – just two months before the Metrojet plane crash.

A source said: 'The first officer was in charge at the time but the pilot was in the cockpit and saw the rocket coming towards the plane.

'He ordered that the flight turn to the left to avoid the rocket, which was about 1,000ft away.'

They said the five members of cabin crew only found out about the incident after landing.

The 'shaken' staff were offered the chance to stay the night in Egypt, but chose to head straight back to the UK on a flight that took off with no internal or external lights. The news came as:

Stranded Britons spent hours in the stifling heat of Sharm El Sheikh airport, only for rescue flights to be cancelled;

The Transport Secretary said the current flight ban could be extended to other countries if their airports' security is found to be inadequate;

The Defence Secretary said failing to bomb Islamic State in Syria was 'morally indefensible', after the jihadis claimed responsibility for downing the Russian jet last Saturday; and

Vladimir Putin's regime halted all flights to Egypt – barely 24 hours after criticising Britain for doing so.

A tourist talks to staff from the British Embassy as other holidaymakers wait at the security gate at Sharm el-Sheikh airport. The evacuation has begun of 20,000 Britons trapped in Egypt after planes were grounded on the orders of David Cameron over fears a Russian jet was blown up by a bomb planted at the airport

Frustrated travellers arrived at the airport earlier this morning only to find out their departures had been scrapped at the eleventh hour amid chaotic and angry scenes and were sent back to their hotels

Tourists gather at the check-in counters at Sharm el-Sheikh airport. More than 20 'rescue flights' were set to leave the Red Sea resort throughout today to evacuate the first Britons trapped in Egypt after planes were grounded on the orders of David Cameron

The missile that nearly struck the Thomson jet was also spotted by another of the carrier's planes as it approached Sharm El Sheikh, the source said.

'The crew were told the rocket was from an Egyptian military exercise, but with what has happened there is a lot of fear,' they added. 'The incident left staff petrified.'

In July, the Foreign Office warned British tourists of a 'high threat' from terrorism and advised against travelling to northern Sinai.

The peninsula plays host to a range of extreme groups, including Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, or Champions of Jerusalem, which emerged in 2011.

Support: Russian flights have continued as normal from Sharm el-Sheikh despite Britain's ban and these tourists wore pro-Putin T-shirts as they waited in the airport

Chaos: Tourists gather to check in at Sharm el-Sheikh airport. Rescue flights which had been due to bring thousands of stranded British holidaymakers back home from the Red Sea resort today have been cancelled at the last minute by Egypt

An employee of easyJet talks to stranded tourists waiting at the airport to be evacuated from Sharm el-Sheikh. The budget carrier had been due to operate 10 planes from the Red Sea resort on Friday, but said eight would not be able to operate because Egypt had suspended flights

The militants, who recently declared their allegiance to Islamic State and renamed themselves Sinai Province, are thought to have access to a range of weaponry and explosives but have never targeted aircraft before. Although the Egyptian government insists the conflict is limited to small pockets, co-ordinated attacks on police and soldiers have killed hundreds as the situation threatens to spiral out of control.

Tim Williams, of security firm Stirling Assynt, has tentatively blamed Sinai Province for downing the Russian Airbus, warning that it 'has the capability to carry out an attack of this sort'.

He suggested that the atrocity would fit 'wholeheartedly with ... its emerging agenda to target Egypt's tourist sector in this way, and also to target Russian interests'.

He continued: 'There are huge risks to the Egyptian government – the tourist industry is absolutely critical to their economy.

Fury: British tourists rounded on the UK ambassador to Egypt John Casson at Sharm el-Sheikh airport today as a massive operation to evacuate holidaymakers descended into chaos

Chaos: One Thomas Cook rescue flight, left, was forced to turn back over Albania, another has landed in Crete and a Monarch Airline was left circling over Sharm for an hour as a row over landing slots escalated

The first easyJet flight bringing back British tourists from the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh has landed in Gatwick airport

Passenger Emma Turner wipes away a tear as she is greeted by family in Gatwick airport after arriving on the first plane from Sharm

'Sharm El Sheikh is at the centre of that, and they are very, very assertively trying to control the narrative around this, so they can try and minimise damage to their sector, and to try and ensure that they retain the support of a significant proportion of the Egyptian population, and deliver economic progress to them.'

Thomson initially declined to comment but in a comment late last night said: 'Thomson Airways can confirm that an event was reported by the crew of flight TOM 476 on 23rd August 2015.

'Upon landing into Sharm el-Sheikh, an initial assessment was conducted and the event was immediately reported to the UK Department for Transport (DfT) in line with established protocol.

'The DfT conducted a full investigation in conjunction with other UK Government experts.

'After reviewing the details of the case, the investigation concluded that there was no cause for concern and it was safe to continue our flying programme to Sharm el Sheikh.'

The altitude of its plane and its geographical position at the time it encountered the rocket has not been revealed.