Intelligence indicates Flight PS752 was shot down by Iran: Trudeau – CTV News

TORONTO —
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada has intelligence that indicates that the plane that crashed in Iran Wednesday morning, killing all 176 people aboard, was shot down by an Iranian missile – possibly by accident.

“We have intelligence from multiple sources, including our allies and our own intelligence. The evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. This may well have been unintentional,” the prime minister said Thursday afternoon at a news conference.

Ukraine Airlines flight PS752 crashed near Tehran shortly after taking off. Sixty-three of its passengers had Canadian passports, and many others were living in Canada as permanent residents or on visas.

Trudeau described the surface-to-air missile as the “probable cause” of the crash but declined to elaborate on what evidence Canadian officials possess that led them to that conclusion. U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested that he also believes Iran was responsible for the plane going down.

Flanked by several senior government and defence officials, the prime minister said he had called for Iran to allow a full investigation into the crash.

“The families of the victims and all Canadians want answers. I want answers. That means closure, transparency, accountability and justice,” he said.

“This government will not rest until we get that.”

Trudeau said he had been in touch with several world leaders since the crash, including Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands, whose government led the investigation into the 2014 crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. He said he had also shared Canada’s intelligence with Ukraine Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky.

Canada and Iran have not had formal diplomatic relations since 2012, when Canada labelled Iran a state sponsor of terrorism. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Phillippe Champagne has talked to his Iranian counterpart about the crash.

Trudeau said Thursday that Canada has pushed Iran to allow Canadian investigators to take part in the probe, and that Iran has shown an “openness” to doing so but has not officially assented. He said Canadian consular officials are being sent to Turkey with the hope they will be allowed into Iran to provide assistance.

When asked, the prime minister did not speculate on what Canada’s response would be if a missile strike is conclusively found to have caused the crash, saying he would wait for an investigation to happen before discussing any possible retaliation.

The plane’s black box, which could provide pivotal clues for investigators, remains in Iran. Trudeau said that Iran has agreed to grant Ukrainian investigators access to the box, but does not intend to let it out of the country.

In his second public speech since the crash, Trudeau said again that he is not prepared to rule out any possible cause of the crash and reiterated that his thoughts are with the families of those killed.

“[Today’s] news will undoubtedly come as a further shock to the families who are already grieving in the face of this unspeakable tragedy,” he said.

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