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Iran says ‘unintentionally’ shot down Ukraine passenger jet

Agence France-Presse / 09:02 AM January 12, 2020

An employee walks in background of a makeshift memorial set up for the victims of the Ukraine
International Airlines Boeing 737-800 that crashed near the Iranian capital Teheran, at the Boryspil
airport outside Kiev, on January 11, 2020. - Ukraine demanded on January 11, 2020 that Iran punishes
those guilty for the downing of a Ukrainian airliner and compensate victims while praising Tehran for
cooperating with the "objective" investigation. (Photo by Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP)

An employee walks in background of a makeshift memorial set up for the victims of the Ukraine
International Airlines Boeing 737-800 that crashed near the Iranian capital Teheran, at the Boryspil
airport outside Kiev, on January 11, 2020. – Ukraine demanded on January 11, 2020 that Iran punishes
those guilty for the downing of a Ukrainian airliner and compensate victims while praising Tehran for
cooperating with the “objective” investigation. (Photo by Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP)

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran said Saturday it “unintentionally” shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, killing all
176 people aboard, in an abrupt about-turn after initially denying Western claims it was struck by a
missile.

President Hassan Rouhani said a military probe into the tragedy had found “missiles fired due to human
error” brought down the Boeing 737, calling it an “unforgivable mistake”.

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At a student protest to pay tribute to the crash victims on Saturday, Iranian authorities briefly detained
Britain’s ambassador to Tehran, in what the British government called a violation of international law. He
was later released.
US President Donald Trump told Iranians that he stands by them and is monitoring the demonstrations.

“To the brave, long-suffering people of Iran: I’ve stood with you since the beginning of my Presidency,
and my Administration will continue to stand with you,” he tweeted.

“There can not be another massacre of peaceful protesters, nor an internet shutdown. The world is
watching,” he added, apparently referring to an Iranian crackdown on street protests that broke out in
November.

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