Published 04:39 IST, January 12th 2020
UK's Ambassador to Iran Robert Macaire arrested during demonstration in Tehran
Amid the erupting protests in Iran, the police have arrested UK’s ambassador to Iran Robert Macaire during demonstrations outside a university in Tehran
Amid the erupting protests in Iran, the police on Sunday, January 12, have arrested UK’s ambassador to Iran Robert Macaire during demonstrations outside a university in Tehran. According to reports, Macaire was earlier detained for over an hour. The protests have erupted after Tehran on Saturday morning accepted their fault for mistakenly shooting down a Ukrainian plane.
Protests in Iran
After Tehran accepted their fault, a large group of Iranians staged protests demanding Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to step down from his post. As per the videos on social media, the protesters have been chanting "Commander-in-chief resign, resign" during the demonstrations outside Tehran's Amir Kabir University.
Iran accepts fault
Iran, on Saturday morning, accepted that they shot down the Ukrainian plane on January 8 "unintentionally.". Issuing a statement, Iran's military on state television said that the incident happened due to "human error." Further, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani took to Twitter and said that it is an "unforgivable mistake." He also said that "investigation on this great tragedy continues."
About the Ukrainian aircraft
On January 8, a Ukrainian aircraft with at least 176 people aboard was shot just after taking off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport, killing all the people on board.
According to reports, out of the 176 people who die in the crash, 82 were Iranians. Additionally, the people who lost their lives included 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans, and three British nationals.
(Image Source: Twitter@Rob Macaire)
Updated 04:39 IST, January 12th 2020