Anger and grief as Canada remembers Iran plane crash victims

Yahoo – AFP, January 13, 2020

A woman cries during a ceremony in Toronto for the 57 Canadians killed when a
Ukrainian airliner crashed in Iran (AFP Photo/Geoff Robins)

Toronto (Canada) (AFP) - Thousands of people attended vigils Sunday in Canada for the 57 Canadian victims of the Ukrainian airliner crash in Iran, most of them from the Iranian community.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a memorial event in Edmonton that "this tragedy struck our Iranian-Canadian community, leaving cities like Edmonton reeling, but this was truly a Canadian tragedy."

"We want to assure all families and all Canadians that we will not rest until there are answers," he said. "We will not rest until there is justice and accountability."

Six university students were killed when the Ukraine International Airlines flight crashed on January 8, shortly after takeoff from Tehran's airport.

All 176 people aboard were killed, 57 of whom were Canadian, many of them dual Iranian nationals.

A woman weeps during a memorial service at the University of Toronto (AFP 

Photo/Geoff Robins)

Iran has since admitted the airliner was mistakenly shot down by Iranian missiles.

At a ceremony at the University of Toronto, many of those who had been close to the victims expressed their grief and anger.

"It's a story that resonates with the people, these immigrants with a lot of hopes and dreams. They worked super hard, they were high achievers and they get here only to be shot down in the middle of the air," said Ali Esnaashani.

"I'm angry, I'm sad," the 30-year-old told AFP. "But I also feel inspired to see the community come together like this."

On stage, Mehrdad Ariannejad, head of the Canadian-Iranian cultural dialogue nonprofit Tirgan, began to cry during his speech.

"Shock has given way to grief and increasingly anger," he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland speaks during a memorial ceremony in 

Toronto for the Canadian victims of the Ukraine International Airlines crash (AFP 

Photo/Geoff Robins)

"We must demand justice from the Islamic Republic authorities and demand answers and compensation for the negligence and lack of regard for human life that has led to this tragedy."

Canada is home to a major Iranian diaspora. In 2016, 210,000 Canadians claimed Iranian origins, according to official figures.

Half of them live in Toronto, which has one of the most significant Iranian communities in North America after Los Angeles.

Hola, 50, who knew one of the victims, could not hold back her tears. "I'm happy that the Canadian government promised to follow through and find justice for these people, for the families and loved ones," she said.

"Nothing will ever replace these brilliant lives that have been cut short," said Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland in Toronto. "We will always bear these scars."

Canada voices concern over Iran's arrest of British ambassador

Yahoo – AFP, January 12, 2020

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (AFP Photo/Dave Chan)

Ottawa (AFP) - Canada and several other countries with nationals killed in the shootdown of a civilian airliner called on Tehran Sunday to abide by its international commitments after Iranian authorities briefly arrested the British ambassador.

"We call on Iran to uphold the Vienna Convention," Canada's foreign ministry said, referring to a 1961 international treaty that sets out protections from harassment for foreign diplomats.

Canada issued the statement after a call among representatives of countries whose citizens were among the 176 people killed when a Ukrainian airliner was hit by an Iranian missile January 8.

The group formed by Canada in the wake of the disaster includes Britain, Ukraine, Sweden and Afghanistan.

"All countries on the call noted their concern that the British ambassador to Tehran was temporarily detained by Iranian officials following his attendance at a vigil for the victims of flight PS752," the statement said.

Iran earlier Sunday confirmed it briefly arrested Rob Macaire, the British ambassador, for attending an "illegal gathering" -- a charge he has denied.

The European Union and France criticized Tehran for the arrest as well.

On Saturday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was "outraged and furious" over the shootdown, demanding a full investigation and for Tehran to assume responsibility for the tragedy, including financial compensation.

Iran's leaders admitted on Saturday that Iranian forces accidentally shot down the airliner after mistaking it for a cruise missile.

Trudeau is expected in Edmonton, Alberta Sunday to attend a memorial service for the 57 Canadian victims of the disaster. About a dozen were from Edmonton.

The prime minister, who will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, is expected to speak at the event.

Another ceremony has been scheduled Sunday at the University of Toronto. The city is home to the largest Iranian community in Canada.

Numerous funerals have been held across the country in recent days as Canadians grieve the deaths.

Iran's 'catastrophic mistake': Speculation, pressure, then admission

Yahoo – AFP, Stuart WILLIAMS, January 11, 2020

An Iranian holds a newspaper with a picture of the debris of the Ukrainian plane
that crashed in Tehran on January 8, 2020, outside a news stand in the Islamic
republic's capital (AFP Photo/ATTA KENARE)

Paris (AFP) - When a Boeing passenger jet crashed in Iran early on January 8, speculation immediately swirled that the only plausible explanation was that it had been shot down by Iran.

The crash of the Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) flight came hours after Tehran had launched a barrage of missiles at bases housing American troops in Iraq, retaliating for the killing of commander Qasem Soleimani in a US strike.

Immediately, theories multiplied arguing that Tehran's air defence system, on high alert for possible US retaliation, may have been triggered by accident.

Western leaders cited intelligence pointing to an accidental strike by Iran. Verified video images later emerged showing a missile striking a plane.

From Wednesday to Friday, Iranian officials repeatedly insisted that the plane had not been shot down. Early on Saturday however, the Islamic republic admitted that the plane had been hit by a short-range missile in what President Hassan Rouhani described as a "catastrophic mistake".

Ukrainian passenger jet crash in Iran (AFP Photo)

What happened on January 8?

The Boeing 737-800NG for UIA's flight PS752 between Tehran and Kiev took off from Imam Khomeini International Airport at 6:12 am local time.

Although there was no distress message from the pilot, the plane had begun to turn back for the airport before crashing at 6:18 am, said the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization. The aircraft came down near Sabashahr on the outskirts of Tehran.

There were 10 departures from Tehran airport that day before flight PS752, according to the Flight Radar 24 monitoring site. That raised questions as to why air traffic had not been halted given the situation.

All 176 people on board the flight PS752 -- mainly Iranians and Canadians, including dual nationals, but also Ukrainians, Afghans, Britons and Swedes -- were killed.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was the first major leader to publicly 

state Iran could be to blame for the plane crash (AFP Photo/Dave Chan)

How did pressure grow?

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was the first major leader to publicly state Iran could be to blame. He said Canada had intelligence from multiple sources "including our allies and our own intelligence" that indicated "the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile."

"This may well have been unintentional," Trudeau added.

His language was echoed by other Western leaders including Dutch Premier Mark Rutte, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

US President Donald Trump said he had "suspicions" as "somebody could have made a mistake", and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo then said the United States believed it was "likely" that an Iranian missile downed the airliner.

The New York Times also said it had verified a video appearing to show a missile hitting a plane at night above the Tehran suburb of Parand, west of the airport.

What did Iran initially say?

For three days, Iranian officials refused to countenance any suggestion that one of its missiles had brought down the plane.

The country's civil aviation chief Ali Abedzadeh said that one "thing is for certain, this airplane was not hit by a missile", arguing that it would have exploded immediately if hit by a missile.

Experts questioned that claim, arguing that such missiles explode before coming into contact with the target.

This handout photograph taken and released on January 11, 2019, by The 

National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, shows people analysing 

the remains of the Ukraine International Airlines plane Boeing 737-800 that

crashed outside Tehran (AFP Photo/STR)

What does Iran now admit?

In an announcement early Saturday that took many experts by surprise, Iran admitted it had "unintentionally" shot down the jet after a missile operator mistook the plane for a cruise missile.

Tehran said its systems had been on high alert for American retaliation in the hours after the Iranian strikes on bases housing US troops in Iran.

"He had 10 seconds to decide," the aerospace commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh said of the operator, who he insisted had "acted alone".

"He could have decided to strike or not to strike and under such circumstances he took the wrong decision."

Rouhani called it an "unforgivable mistake", vowed that compensation would be paid to the families while those responsible would be prosecuted.

What kind of missile was used?

Unverified images posted on social media show the remains of a Russian-made Tor M-1 missile but Tehran has yet to give details on the kind of weaponry used.

Tehran received 29 such air defence systems from Moscow under a $700 million contract signed in 2005, a deal that caused considerable unease in the West.

The Bellingcat open-source analytics website has said the origin of the images is yet to be determined, and the people who captured the images have not come forward.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, pictured on January 9, 2020 in a 

presidential press handout photo placing flowers at a memorial for the victims 

of the Ukraine International Airlines crash in Tehran, has toughened his stance 

on Iran (AFP Photo/HO)

What does Ukraine want now?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, initially wary of blaming Tehran, has toughened his line since Tehran's admission.

After Zelensky spoke to Rouhani later Saturday, the Ukrainian presidency said that Zelensky asked Tehran to allow the bodies of the 11 Ukrainian victims to be repatriated "by January 19".

He added that Ukrainian diplomats had produced a list of steps to be taken to "resolve the compensation issue".

Despite the three days of denial from Tehran, some have compared its reaction favourably to that from Moscow over the crash of the Malaysia Airlines flight shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014.

Although the Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team says a Russian-made BUK missile fired by pro-Russian separatists was to blame, Russia still denies any involvement.

Iranian police dispersed students chanting "radical" slogans during a gathering in Tehran to honour the 176 people killed when an airliner was mistakenly shot down, Fars news agency reported https://t.co/jtSIrcZiX1

— AFP news agency (@AFP) January 11, 2020

Ukraine plane crash another challenge for Boeing

Yahoo – AFP, John BIERS, January 8, 2020

Rescue teams work amidst debris after a Ukrainian plane carrying 176 passengers
crashed near Imam Khomeini airport in the Iranian capital Tehran early in the morning
on January 8, 2020, killing everyone on board (AFP Photo)

New York (AFP) - The latest tragic plane crash involving another Boeing aircraft adds to the travails facing the company after its 737 MAX was grounded nearly a year ago following two deadly crashes.

Details were limited Wednesday about the crash of a Ukraine International Airlines plane, a Boeing 737-800, near Tehran that killed 176 people.

Yet the latest bad news involving a Boeing plane weighed on company shares, which were down 1.3 percent at $332.77 in early-afternoon trading.

The incident could hardly have come at a worse time for Boeing, which is still reeling from two MAX crashes that killed 346 people, causing its best-selling plane to be grounded worldwide, and exposing the company to withering criticism over its handling of the crisis.

Paul Njoroge of Canada, who lost his family in the Ethiopian Airlines MAX crash, said the UIA crash "brought a chill in my entire body" as he recalled the MAX crash.

"The 737-800, the predecessor to the 737-MAX... has been seen to be reliable over the years," Njoroge said in a statement released by his law firm.

"However, any in-built technical issues cannot be tolerated. Could the crash be tied to the crippled culture within Boeing? That is a hypothesis that should be analyzed."

The latest tragic plane crash involving a Boeing model different from the grounded 

MAX adds to the travails facing the company after two deadly crashes (AFP Photo/

MANDEL NGAN)

Cause of crash unknown

However, aviation analysts stressed that the two planes are different models and the crashes should be considered separately.

Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group, a research consultancy focused on aviation and defense, said the UIA crash is "tragic and the optics aren't good" for Boeing, but the 737-800 model has an excellent record.

The airline said the aircraft involved in the crash was built in 2016 and had been checked only two days before the accident. It was Kiev-based UIA's first fatal crash.

There was no immediate indication of foul play and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned against "speculating" on the cause of the disaster.

A statement posted on the website of the Ukrainian embassy in Iran initially said the crash was caused by an engine malfunction and ruled out an act of terror, but it was later edited to say that all information will now be provided by an official commission.

Aboulafia said early statements blaming the crash on technical difficulties reflected "an unbelievable degree of unprofessionalism" since they did not have access to the plane's black box or pilot communications.

Scott Hamilton of Leeham News said reports linking the UIA crash to the MAX crisis "are irresponsible," adding that the 737-800 model is "a highly reliable aircraft with thousands in service around the world."

Hamilton said crash investigations routinely include studying the possibility of pilot error, maintenance error, technical error, outside factors such as weather and terrorism and foreign object ingestion.

Citing a 2018 Southwest Airlines incident in which an engine exploded, killing a passenger, Hamilton said the plane's engine "has a history of uncontained failures that must be considered."

Analsyts say it is irresponsible to link the crash of a Ukraine International Airline 

Boeing 737-800 to the 737 MAX accidents (AFP Photo/INA FASSBENDER)

Investigation faces roadblocks

Hostilities between Washington and Tehran could impede the probe, which comes as President Donald Trump vowed additional sanctions on Iran following Iranian missile strikes on US troop bases in Iraq, which was in retaliation for Washington's killing of an Iranian general.

Under a protocol governing international aviation investigations, Iran should lead the review, but the country that manufactured the aircraft and the country of the airline that operated the plane also should have representatives involved in the probe.

Normally the US National Transportation Safety Board, the body charged with investigating air accidents, would be involved as Boeing is based in the United States, and likely would rely on experts from the manufacturer.

The NTSB is monitoring developments around the crash and "following its standard procedures for international aviation accident investigations, including long-standing restrictions under the country embargoes," an NTSB spokesman said.

"As part of its usual procedures, the NTSB is working with the State Department and other agencies to determine the best course of action."

Boeing called the crash a "tragic event" on Twitter and said, "we are ready to assist in any way needed."

A US official said, "the US would have to be invited by the Iranians to participate."

The head of Iran Civil Aviation Organisation, Ali Abedzadeh, said while the Ukrainians were free to participate in the probe into the crash, "we will not give the black boxes to the manufacturer (Boeing) and the Americans," according to the Mehr news agency.