Turkey said Raisi's chopper did not emit any signal
The helicopter that crashed while carrying Iran's president and foreign minister on Sunday did not have its signal system turned on or did not possess such a system, Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said on Monday.
Iranian authorities keep insisting that the wreckage of the helicopter was not found by a Turkish high-altitude, long-endurance drone, which was dispatched to help the rescue process. However, Turkish outlets claim the drone played a central role in finding the wreckage of the helicopter.
Uraloglu told reporters that since Iran fell within Turkey's area of responsibility for emergency response, authorities had checked for a signal from the helicopter after hearing it had crashed.
"But unfortunately, (we think) most likely the signal system was turned off or that the helicopter did not have that signal system," he said.
Three police officers were killed Sunday night following a gunfight which broke out after a police chase, with the assailant also losing his life.
According to a detailed report by the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency, “officers from Narmak police station were patrolling when they encountered a suspicious young man near his motorcycle. Upon detecting the police, the man immediately opened fire with his handgun, critically wounding one officer who subsequently succumbed to his injuries at the hospital”.
Tasnim identified the assailant as a well-known criminal involved in drug trafficking, describing him as a “top-level thug” as Iran cracks down on drug crime.
The situation escalated when police officers traced the suspect and attempted an arrest. However, the confrontation quickly turned deadly as the suspect engaged the officers with gunfire, killing two additional policemen and severely wounding two others.
“The gunman was ultimately neutralized by police fire during the shootout, ending his spree of violence,” added Tasnim.
The two officers injured in the exchange are now receiving urgent medical care in a local hospital, with their condition reported as critical.
After the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the Association of Families of the Ukrainian Plane Victims released a statement accusing him of complicity in the downing of the airliner.
The flight was shot down by two air-defense missiles fired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on January 8, 2020, shortly after taking off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, killing all 176 aboard.
The group accused him of not only being complicit in maintaining open Iranian airspace during the shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 but also in actively obstructing the victims' families' quest for truth.
In July, Britain, Canada, Sweden, and Ukraine lodged formal complaints against Iran at the International Court of Justice, accusing the Islamic Republic of intentionally shooting down the plane. Additionally, in January, these nations submitted a complaint to the UN Aviation Council, seeking to hold Iran responsible for the aircraft's downing.
The association's statement highlighted Raisi's involvement as a member of the Supreme National Security Council on the night of the downing.
“We demanded a fair trial and punishment for him to confess to his crimes and taste the punishment. This opportunity was taken from us, but it must be said that we are not sorry for his death. We neither forget nor forgive the killers of Iran's children," the association's statement said.
In April, the Tehran military court sentenced the operator responsible for firing the missiles at the plane to 13 years in prison and ordered him to pay compensation. Among the military personnel accused, none of the high-ranking military or government officials of the Islamic Republic are named.
Following Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash, dissident Saeed Afkari, brother of the executed wrestler Navid Afkari, has publicly shared his joy.
In a message on X, Saeed remarked, "I haven't seen my mother this happy in years." The sentiment reflects the scars left by Raisi's tenure as head of the judiciary, a period characterized by repression and injustice, particularly for families like the Afkaris who suffered directly under his rule.
Navid Afkari was executed on September 12, 2020, after enduring a controversial trial marred by inconsistencies and accusations of torture that occurred during Raisi's tenure.
His execution, amid international condemnation, became a symbol of the regime's oppressive tactics against dissent and its punitive measures against those who dare to challenge its authority.
The torment endured by Navid's family continued as Saeed recounted an incident involving another brother, Vahid. He described how, after Navid’s execution, representatives from Raisi's office coerced Vahid with a life-threatening ultimatum in the shadows of Adelabad Prison in Shiraz, underscoring the impact of Raisi’s policies on countless Iranian lives.
As news of Raisi’s death spread, reactions within Iran were divided, with the majority expressing their jubilation on social media—a contrast to the official mourning period declared by the Supreme Leader. The celebrations reflect a pent-up resentment and opposition toward a regime viewed as suppressive and economically disastrous, highlighting the deep divisions within Iranian society.
The comment by Afkari comes amid an escalating use of the death penalty in Iran, following the unprecedented nationwide protests in 2022. An Amnesty International report released last month, titled "Don't Let Them Kill Us," highlighted an unprecedented surge in executions in Iran in 2023. The report noted that at least 853 individuals were executed, with a significant portion of those executed being minorities, including Kurds.
In a controversial move, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Monday offered his condolences over the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other Iranian officials in a helicopter crash.
Lebanon and Syria on Monday announced three days of national mourning for the Iranian president and foreign minister, who were killed in a helicopter crash overnight near the Azerbaijan border.
Iran enjoys sway in both countries, backing the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon and supporting Syria's government and security forces stay in power throughout more than a decade of war.
"I can't tell you how sorry I am about this incident that happened. Especially that the foreign minister had become a friend," Lebanon's Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told reporters on Monday.
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, as well as other Lebanese officials and Hezbollah, offered their condolences for the deaths.
