Iran has claimed to have arrested a person who posted a video of a missile striking a Ukrainian plane shortly after take-off from the Tehran airport on January 8. The person, detained by the Revolutionary Guards, is likely to face charges related to national security, BBC reported.
However, the United Kingdom-based Iranian journalist who had posted the video on January 9 claimed on Twitter that the person who had sent him the footage was safe, and authorities had arrested the wrong person. Nariman Gharib said Iran was “orchestrating another lie”, and called his source a hero.
The aircraft, which belonged to the Ukrainian International Airlines, crashed on the outskirts of Tehran hours after Iran bombed two airbases in Iraq used by United States military forces. The crash killed all 176 persons on board, including 82 Iranians, 57 Canadians and 11 Ukrainians. Iran admitted on Saturday that its missiles had hit the plane unintentionally, during an apparent retaliation to the assassination of a top military general by the United States.
Meanwhile, The New York Times released new footage, showing that two missiles were fired at the plane, more than 20 seconds apart.
On Tuesday, Iran’s judiciary said around 30 people had been arrested for their role in the crash.
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