Iran plane crash: UK ambassador arrested in Tehran

Biodun Iginla Biodun Iginla

Biodun Iginla

Political News Analyst at France24

发布日期: 2020年1月12日
+ 关注




January 12, 2020 06H:17 GMT/ZULU

   Share

Related Topics

Image copyright

EPA

by Leila Mohamed and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, Tehran

The UK ambassador to Iran was arrested during anti-government protests in Tehran after officials admitted shooting down a passenger plane.

Rob Macaire was held for three hours, in what the UK described as a "flagrant violation of international law".

It is understood he was attending a vigil for those who died in the crash, which turned into a protest.

He left to make his way back to the UK embassy, but was arrested as he stopped at a barber shop for a haircut.

In a statement, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: "The arrest of our Ambassador in Tehran without grounds or explanation is a flagrant violation of international law.

"The Iranian government is at a cross-roads moment. It can continue its march towards pariah status with all the political and economic isolation that entails, or take steps to deescalate tensions and engage in a diplomatic path forwards."

The Iranian Etemad newspaper shared a picture of the ambassador on Twitter after the Tasnim news agency reported his arrest.

Skip Twitter post by @EtemadOnline


 ????????????
@EtemadOnline


#????_?????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ????? ? ???????? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ??????? ???????? ???? ????? ??????? ? ??? ???? ??/?????


112
8:34 PM - Jan 11, 2020
Twitter Ads info and privacy


55 people are talking about this




Report

End of Twitter post by @EtemadOnline


Iranian media claimed Mr Macaire was accused of inciting anti-government protests.

Iran has said Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 was shot down due to "human error" and there were demonstrations in Tehran and other cities on Saturday as people gathered to commemorate those who died.

Earlier, the UK prime minister said Iran's admission was an "important first step" and called for an investigation into the "tragic accident".

MISSILE STRIKES

Iran initially denied responsibility for Wednesday's crash - which killed 176 people, including four Britons.

But on Saturday, President Hassan Rouhani admitted Iranian military had "unintentionally" shot down the passenger plane after mistaking it for a cruise missile when it turned towards a sensitive military site.

President Rouhani said the missile strike was an "unforgivable mistake".

The crash came just hours after Iran carried out missile strikes on two airbases housing US forces in Iraq.

Mr Johnson said: "This will be an incredibly difficult time for all those families who lost loved ones in such tragic circumstances.

"We will do everything we can to support the families of the four British victims and ensure they get the answers and closure they deserve."

He said the investigation into the crash should be "comprehensive, transparent and independent", adding that he would work with other affected nations, including Canada and Ukraine.

The prime minister said it was "vital that all leaders now pursue a diplomatic way forward" in the conflict in the region.

"This tragic accident only reinforces the importance of de-escalating tensions in the region. We can all see very clearly that further conflict will only lead to more loss and tragedy," he said.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Raab said the missile strike on the Ukrainian plane marked "a moment where the regime in Tehran is at a crossroads".

"It is time for them to come to the negotiating table to resolve all of Iran's issues of international concern," he said.

Mr Raab said Iran "must stop pursuing a nuclear weapon, end its support for terrorism, and release the foreign nationals and dual nationals it cruelly holds".

The attack on the airliner came amid heightened tensions in the region following the killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani on 3 January.

Tehran vowed revenge after he died in a drone strike ordered by US President Donald Trump.


Media caption

Footage appears to show missile strike on Ukrainian plane in Iran

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the shooting down of the passenger plane by Iran was "an appalling act, and part of a whole pattern of appalling acts all across the region".

"There's no excuse for shooting down an airliner, there's no excuse for a targeted assassination by one state against another," he said at an anti-war protest in central London on Saturday.

"All this does is set off a spiral of violence and danger which will lead us to yet more wars in the future."

'DEVASTATING LOSS'

The Queen has also sent a message of condolence to the Governor-General of Canada - where the majority of the passengers on the flight were headed.

Out of the 176 victims on board the Kyiv-bound flight, 138 had listed Canada as their eventual destination.

The Queen said she and the Duke of Edinburgh were "deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life".

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Canada, which has suffered such a devastating loss," she added.

"I extend my deepest condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of all those Canadians, and indeed other nationalities, who died, and to the many others who have been affected by this terrible event."

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall added their condolences, saying they were "utterly horrified" by the disaster.

"However hopelessly inadequate it may be, we particularly wanted you to know just how much our hearts go out to all those whose grief must be unbearable," they wrote to the Governor-General of Canada.

The UK government says that four Britons were on board the Ukrainian passenger plane.

Image copyright

FACEBOOK/LINKEDIN

Image caption

Britons Mohammed Reza Kadkhoda Zadeh, Sam Zokaei and Saeed Tahmasebi were all on board

Three have been named as Mohammed Reza Kadkhoda Zadeh, who owned a dry cleaners in West Sussex, BP engineer Sam Zokaei from Twickenham, and PhD student and engineer Saeed Tahmasebi, who lived in Dartford.

Mr Tahmasebi's Iranian wife, Niloufar Ebrahim, was also listed as a passenger on the plane.

Iran's ambassador to the UK, Hamid Baeidinejad, apologised for sharing "wrong findings" about the crash, having previously said he was "confident" that a missile had not been launched.

He expressed "regret" for giving a false statement to the media based on the official findings at the time.

RELATED TOPICS

SHARE THIS STORY ABOUT SHARING

MORE ON THIS STORY

UK


Queen and Prince Harry to hold face-to-face talks

  • 11 January 2020
  •    From the section
  • UK

Full article Queen and Prince Harry to hold face-to-face talks


DUP and Sinn Féin back in top jobs at Stormont

Full article DUP and Sinn Féin back in top jobs at Stormont


Don't trash Blair or Corbyn, says Keir Starmer

Full article Don't trash Blair or Corbyn, says Keir Starmer

More Videos from the BBC

Recommended by Outbrain

Elsewhere on BBC

Recommended by Outbrain

You Might Also Like


From Around the Web

Promoted content by Outbrain

TOP STORIES

Protesters in Iran condemn 'lies' on downed plane

Demonstrators in Tehran vent anger at officials who earlier denied Iran shot down a Ukraine airliner.

5 hours ago

Ukraine: Missile struck plane underneath cockpit

11 January 2020

Australia PM regrets handling of bushfire crisis

1 hour ago

ADVERTISEMENT


FEATURES


Night rider: 21 years sleeping on a London bus

  

The man who cremated his own paintings

  

Plants grow in ashes of Australia fires

  VIDEO

Saving an indigenous language from extinction

  

Are we on the cusp of an ‘AI winter’?

  

The remote 'democratic' oasis of Soviet Russia

  VIDEO

'How far we've come since the ban was lifted'

  

Is decluttering overrated?

  

Why Meghan and Harry have Canada in their sights

ELSEWHERE ON THE BBC


Football phrases

15 sayings from around the world

MOST READ

ADVERTISEMENT



Why you can trust BBC News


Posted by Biodun Iginla at 8:22 PM  Email This

BlogThis!

Share to Twitter

Share to Facebook

Share to Pinterest

Labels: bbc news, iran, Leila Mohamed and Biodun Iginla, uk ambassador


No comments:


Post a Comment



Older Post

Home

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


POPULAR POSTS


FOLLOWERS



BLOG ARCHIVE


ABOUT ME

Biodun Iginla

Biodun Iginla is a News Analyst for BBC News and a freelance writer and author who writes about politics and culture. He divides his time between Minneapolis, London, and Paris. He has also published 58 books, novels and nonfiction. Please see his books at amazon.com

View my complete profile



TOTAL PAGEVIEWS

0901722993394335316207368319161015111812231317143415201616173118241935201821222244235124202523263727182815292

 646,011



要查看或添加评论，请登录

Biodun Iginla的更多文章

社区洞察