Iranians follow a truck carrying coffins of the late President Ebrahim Raisi and his companions, who were killed in a helicopter crash, during a funeral ceremony for them on May 22, 2024 in Tehran, Iran. Photo: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images.
The second investigative report says there was ‘no sabotage or electronic warfare’ and vowed that the probe would continue
The second investigative report on the crash that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his team earlier this month has ruled out any “sabotage” or “electronic warfare.”
The General Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, which is leading the probe, said in its report on 29 May: “Considering the sampling and tests conducted on the remains and parts of the helicopter and the pattern of their dispersion and the distance of the parts separated from the main body, the occurrence of an explosion due to sabotage during the flight and moments before the impact on the mountain slopes is ruled out.”
It also confirmed that “no traces of electronic warfare were observed on the crashed helicopter,” according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Examination of the helicopter’s maintenance and repair documents has revealed that there were no signs of communication systems malfunctioning or frequency interference that could have prevented the presidential helicopter from contacting the other two choppers in the convoy.
“Tests and data analysis will continue until the main cause of the incident is identified,” the General Staff concluded in its report.
The investigation into the crash was ordered on 20 May by the Chief of Staff of the Iranian army, Major General Mohammad Bagheri. The General Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces released on 23 May a preliminary report by the special investigative committee probing the helicopter crash.
It said no traces of foul play were found but that the probe would continue.
According to the preliminary report, the helicopter caught fire as soon as it crashed into the mountain.
During a 21 May interview on the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN), Raisi’s Chief of Staff Gholam Hossein Esmaili – who was on one of the two other helicopters in the convoy that safely reached its destination – narrated what he witnessed in the moments before the crash.
Iran’s President Raisi Joined BRICS, Called to Drop US Dollar, Pushed for Multipolar World
The crash took place on 20 May as Raisi and his team, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, were returning from an inauguration ceremony for a water dam project with Azerbaijan’s President, Ilham Aliyev.
Rescue teams had great difficulty locating the site of the crash due to severe weather conditions and harsh terrain. After a 16-hour search, the president and his delegation were confirmed dead once rescue teams reached the crash site and found no signs of life.
Social media users and observers quickly began speculating about Israeli involvement.
If Israel is involved in the Iranian President's helicopter crash incident, it will be wiped off the map of the world, and its future generations will remember this incident forever. Clear warning for Israel. #IranMedia#Iran #helicoptercash #Mossad #EbrahimRaïssi pic.twitter.com/6BQxCI8oG5
— Raja Abdullah (@R50Ab) May 20, 2024
At least 40% of Israel’s oil is supplied by Azerbaijan via a pipeline that runs through Turkey.
One month into the Gaza genocide, a joint venture between the Azerbaijan State Oil Company and Israel Natural Gas Lines was signed to export gas to Israel.
— Lowkey (@Lowkey0nline) May 19, 2024
“It wasn’t us,” an anonymous Israeli official told Reuters on 20 May. There has been no official comment from Israel, but its politicians and media outlets celebrated the deaths.
🇮🇱🇮🇷🚁⚰️ Yedioth Ahronoth published the title “Tehran's Butcher Crashed”#Raisi #Iran #Khamenei pic.twitter.com/mkWjs7ar4o
— NATO🇺🇸 VS KREMLIN🇷🇺 (@eduinfotech101) May 20, 2024
