Trudeau: Evidence indicates Iranian missile brought down Ukrainian flight

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says intelligence now indicates the Ukrainian passenger aircraft that crashed outside of Tehran on Wednesday, killing everyone on board — including 138 people destined for Canada — was shot down by an Iranian missile.

“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,” he said during a news conference in Ottawa, adding that it might have been an unintentional act.

“The news will undoubtedly come as a further shock to the families who are already grieving in the face of this unspeakable tragedy.” Of the 176 victims killed, 63 were Canadian citizens and included entire families, academics, students and newlyweds.

Trudeau said intelligence and evidence started coming in overnight suggesting the aircraft likely was brought down by a surface-to-air strike, but wouldn’t offer further details.

The prime minister’s comments came after reports out of the U.S. said it’s “highly likely” that an Iranian anti-aircraft missile inadvertently brought down Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752. The crash happened just hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on Iraqi bases housing U.S. soldiers, in response to U.S. President Trump’s decision to order the targeted killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.

When asked if the U.S. air strike was in part to blame for the crash, Trudeau said only that Canada needs a thorough investigation. “The evidence suggests that this is the likely cause but we need to have a full and complete and credible investigation to establish exactly what happened. That’s what we are calling for and that’s what we’re expecting will happen,” he said.

Yesterday, Trudeau told reporters it was “too early to speculate” on whether the Boeing 737-800 passenger plane had been shot down. This morning, news began to break from U.S. sources citing satellite data and saying the aircraft most likely was shot down inadvertently.

According to sources, senior officials from the Privy Council Office, Transport Canada, the Department of National Defence and Public Safety met this morning to discuss the crash. Trudeau vowed Canadian investigators would get access to the crash site.

Following international protocol, Iran’s civil aviation authority officials will lead the investigation into the crash, while Canada’s Transportation Safety Board has appointed a Canadian expert to receive and review information from the probe.

“Canadian expertise when it comes to air tragedies, expertise when it comes to crash investigations, is world class. We have much to contribute and we have lost much in the loss of so many Canadian lives, so many families across this country grieving,” said the prime minister.

“We will be involved. We will offer all the expertise we have to offer.” Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne spoke to his Iranian counterpart late last night and stressed “the need for Canadian officials to be quickly granted access to Iran to provide consular services, help with identification of the deceased and take part in the investigation of the crash,” says a readout of the call.