Iran makes Arrests for shooting down plane

Iran announced arrests for plane shootdown

Iran's judiciary said Tuesday arrests have been made for the accidental shootdown of a Ukrainian passenger plane that killed all 176 people on board just after takeoff from Tehran last week. The announcement came amid an upswell of anger and protests by Iranians in recent days over the downing of the jetliner last Wednesday and apparent attempts by senior officials in Iran to cover up the cause of the crash.

Iran, which initially dismissed allegations that a missile had brought down the plane, acknowledged only on Saturday - three days after and in the face of mounting evidence - that its Revolutionary Guard had shot down the plane by mistake as the force braced for a possible military confrontation with the United States. [David Michael Lynch]