UPDATE: The New York Times has verified that the video below is of the Ukranian Airlines jet being shot down by Iranian missiles in Tehran.
WASHINGTON (1010 WINS) — U.S. and Canadian officials believe that an Iranian anti-aircraft missile downed a Ukrainian jetliner late Tuesday, killing all 176 people on board, according to multiple reports.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whouse country lost at least 63 citizens, said Thursday, "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."
The Ukranian Airlines jet was shot down by 2 Russian SA-15 surface-to-air-missiles, CNN reported, citing a U.S. official. Iran has maintained the crash was due to mechanical issues.
Video obtained by The New York Times (above), which it said it was verified, shows the moment the aircraft was struck. A small explosion occurred when a missile hit the plane, but the plane did not explode, the video showed. The jet continued flying for several minutes and turned back toward the airport, The Times has determined. The plane flew toward the airport ablaze before it exploded and crashed quickly, other videos verified by The Times showed.
Earlier Thursday, President Donald Trump suggested he believed Iran was responsible for the shootdown but wouldn't directly blame the Iranians. He dismissed Iran's initial claim that it was a mechanical issue.
"Somebody could have made a mistake on the other side." Trump said, noting the plane was flying in a "pretty rough neighborhood."
"Some people say it was mechanical," Trump added. "I personally don't think that's even a question."
U.S. intelligence picked up signals of a radar being turned on, according to CBS News, which also reported that U.S. satellites also detected two surface-to-air missile launches, shortly before the plane exploded.
Missile components were found near the crash site, CBS News also reported, citing a source who attended an intelligence briefing about the crash.
An initial Iranian investigative report claimed that the Ukrainian Airlines plane never made a radio call for help and was trying to turn back for the airport when the burning plane went down.
The crash came just a few hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack against Iraqi military bases housing U.S. troops amid a confrontation with Washington over the U.S. drone strike that killed an Iranian Revolutionary Guard general last week. The officials, citing U.S. intelligence, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information. They had no immediate information on intent.
President Donald Trump suggested that he believes Iran was responsible and wouldn't directly lay the blame on Iran, but dismissed their claims that it was a mechanical issue — and denied any U.S. responsibility.'
"Somebody could have made a mistake on the other side.," Trump said, noting the plane was flying in a "pretty rough neighborhood."
"Some people say it was mechanical," Trump added. "I personally don't think that's even a question."'
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
