Video Shows 2nd Missile Hit Iran Plane

They were fired less than 30 seconds apart: 'NYT'
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 15, 2020 8:25 AM CST

Iran says it has arrested the person whose video showed an Iranian missile striking Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752, who is likely to face charges related to national security. The arrest, reported by the BBC, comes as the New York Times reports that not one, but two missiles struck the passenger plane carrying 176 people before it crashed near Tehran a week ago. Security camera footage verified by the Times shows an initial strike believed to have disabled the plane's transponder just before 6:15am on Jan. 8, three minutes after takeoff, as the plane climbed to almost 8,000 feet. A second strike comes 23 seconds later, according to the video posted to YouTube by an Iranian user on Tuesday.

The video from a rooftop in the village of Bidkaneh, some four miles from an Iranian military site, shows the plane remaining airborne. Engulfed in flames, it turned back toward Tehran's airport but exploded and crashed on the outskirts of Khalaj Abad village after just seven minutes in the air, per the Times. The paper notes the camera system, giving the date as "2019-10-17," may use a Persian calendar. President Hassan Rouhani acknowledged "missiles fired due to human error" in a Saturday tweet. Otherwise, officials made no mention of a second missile. The Wall Street Journal notes "the revelation that Iran's military struck a civilian plane not once but twice will likely add fuel" to protests across Iran. (More Iran stories.)

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