Quadcopter Shot Down in Tehran over Security Concerns

According to a report by IFP, residents in central Tehran heard loud gunfire and an explosion, they said on social media.

It was later announced that Iran’s Khatam al-Anbia Air Defence Base’s anti-craft forces have shot down an unmanned aircraft in central Tehran.

Deputy Governor-General of Tehran Mohsen Hamedani told ISNA that the drone belonged to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), and it was taking aerial pictures of the place where Friday Prayers are usually held in Tehran.

However, he added, it has ignored the no-fly zone and trespassed on the area where the house of Iran’s Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and the Presidential Palace are located.

Those using the quadcopter for filming did not know the area was prohibited airspace, he noted.

Khatam al-Anbia Air Defence Base also released a statement on Friday, confirming that the unmanned aerial vehicle, which had entered Tehran’s airspace without coordination and permission, was shot down by the anti-craft forces, Tasnim reported.

After looking into the issue, the downed drone appeared to have been a quadcopter operated by a film crew shooting aerial footage for a documentary, it added.

Meanwhile, an official with the IRIB organization dismissed the allegations that the quadcopter belonged to the state TV.