Iranian missile system shot down Ukraine flight, probably by mistake: Report
The Ukrainian flight that crashed just outside the Iranian capital of Tehran was hit by an Iranian anti-aircraft missile system, three sources tell Newsweek.
According to Newsweek’s report, the airplane is said to have been struck by a Russian-built Tor-M1 surface-to-air missile system, according to a Pentagon official, a senior US intelligence official and an Iraqi intelligence official.
The sources spoke to Newsweek on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak on the matter publicly. The Pentagon official US senior intelligence official told Newsweek that their assessment of the crash so far has proven that the incident might have been accidental.
Video reportedly shows the moment a Ukrainian airliner was hit by a missile before it crashed just outside of the Iranian capital Tehran.https://t.co/buKNYgL74z pic.twitter.com/B2TxNM0SNL
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) January 9, 2020
The Ukrainian International Airlines Boeing 737-800, flying to Kiev and carrying mostly Iranians and Iranian-Canadians, crashed on Wednesday shortly after taking off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport, killing all 176 people on board.
US President Donald Trump said Thursday he had "suspicions" about the crash of the Ukrainian airliner as US media reported it had been mistakenly shot down by Iran.
Trump didn't directly confirm that conclusion, but strongly hinted at it.
"I have my suspicions," Trump said. "It was flying in a pretty rough neighborhood and somebody could have made a mistake."
(With AFP)
