A new security video appears to show two missiles hitting Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 near Tehran, which killed everyone on board last week, according to a report from the New York Times on Tuesday.
The footage shows a projectile flying in the air before a bright flash is seen in the distance. Moments later, another projectile seen flying in the same direction is followed by another flash.
The plane is seen apparently catching on fire moments later. According to the footage, it doesn’t appear that the plane immediately went down.
The video was filmed by a roof camera near the village of Bidkaneh near Tehran, said the report. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ airspace division, said that the missiles were launched from a base that area.
The video was uploaded to YouTube on early Tuesday morning. The NY Times also reported that the new footage could help explain why the plane’s transponder stopped transmitting before it crashed, suggesting a missile may have disabled the device.
Last week, amid denials by Tehran that it was responsible for downing the airliner, several news outlets obtained footage that shows a projectile apparently hitting the plane. The 19-second clip shows a dark sky illuminated by a flash of bright light, followed by a boom. The sounds of sirens could be heard in the background toward the end of the video.
Among those who died in the incident were 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, 4 Afghans, 3 Germans, and 3 Britons.
Iranian officials have now admitted its military shot down the plane and blamed human error. At least one official claimed the plane was misidentified as a cruise missile despite that the plane had taken off from the Tehran airport just minutes before. On the same night, Tehran launched more than a dozen missiles at Iraqi military bases that house American forces in retaliation for the White House-approved airstrike to kill top commander Qassem Soleimani.
Hajizadeh said Saturday that he accepted responsibility for the downing of the jetliner and made the claim that the military thought it was a cruise missile, according to state media.
“I wish I was dead,” Hajizadeh said, reported CNN. “I accept all responsibility for this incident.”
On Tuesday, state television reported that Iran made arrests in connection to the downing to the plane. Gholam-Hossein Esmaili, the spokesman for Iran’s Judiciary agency, said an investigation is also underway, according to PressTV.
The move to arrest those involved is likely intended to quell mass protests that were prompted in the wake of the air disaster. A number of protesters have called for the toppling of the regime.
