When the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi disappeared on May 19, initial reports indicated that there were 9 passengers on board, including two personal bodyguards. However, after the wreckage was found, it was announced that only 8 bodies had been recovered. Four days later, the American magazine Time reported that "the second personal guard named Javad Mehrbal, who was not found among the victims, was seen at the memorial for Raisi."
Reports indicated that Mehdi Mousavi, Raisi's head bodyguard, asked him at the last moment before takeoff to exit the late President Raisi's helicopter. The personal bodyguards belong to a special unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which is responsible for the personal security of senior regime officials. To achieve this, its members carry specially equipped phones not only for secure communication but also for location tracking. It is supposed that the device carried by Mousavi would have been useful in determining the location of the helicopter, which crashed in a rugged area not far from the Iran-Azerbaijan border.
However, the mystery remains regarding why the guard did not board the helicopter and why he was asked not to board that day. The security guards do not seem to be under suspicion, at least from the largest Iranian official. In one of the photos from Raisi's funeral and that of other victims, the personal guards represent two-thirds of the people lined up behind Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
### Investigation Results
The Iranian military revealed yesterday, Wednesday, that the helicopter carrying the late President Ebrahim Raisi had not registered any issues prior to takeoff. The Iranian Armed Forces report clarified that maintenance records of the helicopter did not indicate any problems. The second report of the armed forces confirmed the absence of any signs of sabotage in the remaining parts of the helicopter. The report also clarified that no emergencies or communications interruptions with the crew chief had been reported until 69 seconds before the incident.
