The arrest of the UK ambassador to Iran was reported by Iran’s semi-official news agency, Tasnim, during violent protests in Tehran.
Rob Macaire was present during demonstrations in front of Tehran’s Amir Kabir University and was arrested after allegedly ‘inciting’ a crowd. Following a more than an hour in detention, he was then released.
Appointed to the Ambassador role in April 2018, Rob Macaire replaced Nicholas Hopton. Iranians have been protesting in Tehran, calling for the resignation of Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei following the regime’s admission of mistakenly shooting down a civilian passenger plane.
Angry crowds gathered in at least four locations in Tehran, chanting ‘death to liars’ and calling for the country’s supreme leader to step down over the tragic military blunder, as shown in videos from the scene. Mourful vigils for Iranian lives lost on the flight turned into outrage and protest against the regime. Riot police quickly cracked down, firing tear gas into the crowd.
Protesters chanted ‘Death to the Islamic Republic’ while the regime’s security forces allegedly used ambulances to sneak heavily armed paramilitary police into the middle of crowds to disperse the demonstration.
Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752 was carrying 176 people, including at least 130 Iranian citizens, when it was shot down by hapless Iranian Revolutionary Guard air defense forces shortly after taking off from Tehran on January 8.