Iranian Military: No Signs of Violation or Attack in Presidential Helicopter Incident
The results of an Iranian military investigation stated that there were no signs of an attack before President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter crashed.
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By
MUHAMMAD SAMSUL HADI DAN LUKI AULIA
·5 minutes read
AFP/MOJ NEWS AGENCY/AZIN HAGHIGHI
Rescue teams found the crash site of the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Varzaghan, northwestern Iran, Monday (20/5/2024).
TEHERAN, SATURDAY — The initial report on the results of an Iranian military investigation stated that there were no signs of a violation or attack on the helicopter Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi which crashed in an area near the Iran-Azerbaijan border and killed President and all passengers. More detailed information on the results of the investigation will be announced later.
In addition to carrying Raisi (63), the helicopter also transported Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Governor of East Azerbaijan of Iran Malek Rahmati, and Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, the representative of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution for East Azerbaijan Province, as well as the President's security personnel.
In addition to Raisi's helicopter, there were two other helicopters in the presidential convoy. They departed from the Iran-Azerbaijan border area towards Tabriz after attending the inauguration of the Qiz-Qalasi Dam on the border. Out of the three helicopters, only two arrived at the destination.
"There were no bullet holes or similar objects found in the helicopter debris," said the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, as reported by the Iranian news agency IRNA on Friday (May 24, 2024). "The helicopter caught fire after crashing into a high surface area."
"There was also no suspicious conversation found in the communications between the control tower and the helicopter crew," the report continued.
AP/IRNA/ALI HAMED HAGHDOUST
The helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi took off from the border region of Iran and Azerbaijan after President Raisi, along with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, inaugurated the Qiz Qalasi Dam in the border area of both countries on May 19, 2024.
The last communication took place between the helicopter pilot that crashed and two other helicopters, for about 90 seconds before the President's helicopter crashed. According to the report, the accident site was found by an Iranian unmanned aircraft on Monday (20/5/2024) at 05.00 local time and was reached by the rescue team shortly after.
Iran's military said it needed additional time for further investigations, which would be announced.
The Iranian legal apparatus also reminds all parties not to spread rumors on social media. As reported by the government media, the warning was issued because there were speculations that the Raisi helicopter may have been shot down.
The Fars news agency reported that security forces had arrested a man who uploaded a message containing a false report which then went viral on social media accounts and was seen by 40 million netizens. The post cast doubt on the veracity of the photos of Raisi's helicopter released by state media.
After a procession since Tuesday (21/5/2024), starting from Tabriz, Qom, Tehran, Birjand, to Mashhad, Raisi's body was buried at the Imam Reza Holy Shrine complex in Mashhad, approximately 900 kilometers east of Tehran. Meanwhile, the body of Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian was buried on the same day at the Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine complex in the city of Shahre Ray, approximately 25 kilometers south of Tehran.
In the accident incident, Sunday (19/5/2024), Iran's Chief of Presidential Staff Gholamhossein Esmaili boarded a helicopter which managed to reach Tabriz. In an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN), Tuesday (21/5/2024), he recounted the moments when Raisi's helicopter disappeared. The Iranian news agency, IRNA, and the online news site The Cradle, May 22 2024, published the contents of Esmaili's interview.
Esmaili said that the weather conditions at that time were sunny. There is no information on weather conditions to worry about.
AFP PHOTO/HO/IRINN
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is in a helicopter in the Jolfa region, East Azerbaijan Province, Sunday (19/5/2024).
After flying for around 45 minutes, before entering the copper mine area of Sungun, a cluster of small clouds can be seen. There was no sign of fog at all. On land, there was indeed fog, but when the three helicopters of the Iranian presidential convoy flew, the sky was clear.
Helicopter pilot Raisi ordered
There is only one area above the cliff that is full of small clouds. After seeing the clouds, the pilot of the main helicopter—the helicopter that President Raisi was riding in—ordered the pilots of the other two helicopters to fly above the clouds. or avoid the clouds. The Esmaili helicopter was third behind the main helicopter.
"We kept ascending for about 30 seconds towards the clouds. Suddenly, our pilot realized that the main helicopter carrying the president was missing," recounted Esmaili.
During the process of ascending above the clouds, there is no turbulence felt unlike when boarding a plane. Passengers do not feel anything inside the helicopter. When reaching above the clouds, the sky is clear without any clouds.
AFP/ KANTOR PRESIDEN IRAN
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (left) and Azerbaijani President Ilham at the Qiz Qalasi Dam site on the border of the two countries ahead of the inauguration ceremony on May 19, 2024.
Shortly thereafter, Esmaili said, the view below became clear. There were no clouds blocking the view. The helicopter carrying Esmaili's group arrived in the copper mining area.
However, the pilot suddenly turned back. He said that one of the helicopters was missing. They suspected that the main helicopter had made an emergency landing, but everything was unclear because the radio communication was cut off.
Last communication
The last communication was done about 1 minute and 30 seconds after the fleet commander pilot in the president's helicopter ordered the other two pilots to climb above the clouds. The helicopter pilot carrying Esmaili then circled around the area where the president's helicopter went missing several times.
That is where the helicopter carrying the late Raisi is believed to have crashed - precisely in the area of Varzaqan. The ill-fated helicopter is suspected to have hit a cliff or mountain peak.
However, the helicopter was not visible. The area is also too risky to enter because there are still small clouds gathering. Radio contact was attempted several times but failed. Finally, the two surviving helicopters were forced to land at the Sungun copper mine to investigate the problem.
During the flight, Esmaili tried to contact the main helicopter passengers, including the president's security guards, Amir-Abdollahian, the governor of East Azerbaijan, and the Friday Imam of Tabriz, Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem. However, there was no response.
AFP/IRINN
A photo from this video capture released by Iranian TV station IRINN on May 19, 2024 shows Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (right) riding in a helicopter in the Jolfa area of East Azerbaijan, northwest Iran.
After several attempts at calling the bodyguard's cell phone and Captain Mostafavi, the president's helicopter pilot, someone suddenly answered the phone. Ayatollah Hashem picked up the phone and informed Esmaili that he was in pain.
"I asked what happened. He told us that he didn't know what happened," said Esmaili.
"When asked about his condition and where he was, he also answered that he did not know. He only described what he saw. He was surrounded by trees. I asked about his other conditions. The Ayatollah answered that he was alone and unable to see anyone else," continued Esmaili.
From Ayatollah Ale-Hashem's statement, his helicopter crashed into a valley. "The copper mine has good facilities, such as ambulances and necessary vehicles. We have formed a team to search for them. We also requested immediate emergency assistance," said Esmaili.
