UK's Ambassador to Iran Robert Macaire arrested during demonstration 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. 

Read: Canada PM Trudeau demands 'accountability' after Iran plane admission

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."

Read: 63 Canadians killed, PM Trudeau issues statement as Iran admits it shot down Ukraine jet

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.

Read: Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei issues 3-point statement on his country downing Ukraine jet

Read: Iran FM offers aid to victims of Ukrainian jet crash, tweets 'black photo' after admission

(Image Source: Twitter@Rob Macaire)