Canada PM says evidence indicates Iran shot down Ukraine jet

FILE PHOTO: Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends a news conference about flight PS752 from Tehran to Kiev that crashed shortly after takeoff, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada January 8, 2020. REUTERS/Blair Gable

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada has intelligence from multiple sources indicating a Ukrainian airliner that crashed on Wednesday near Tehran was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday.

U.S. officials had earlier said the airliner was most likely brought down accidentally by Iranian air defences. All 176 people on board, including 63 Canadians, were killed.

"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," Trudeau told a news conference in Ottawa.

"This may well have been unintentional. This new information reinforces the need for a thorough investigation into this matter," he continued.

Trudeau said his government would not rest until it had obtained closure, transparency, accountability and justice.

He also said he had spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who told him that Iran would allow investigators from Kiev into the country.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren and Steve Scherer; Editing by Chris Reese and Jonathan Oatis)