The helicopter was returning Raisi to Tabriz after a visit to the border area, the BBC reports. Raisi was a favorite of the IRGC, his main rival in the succession to Supreme Leader Khamenei was Khamenei's son. In a country known for conspiracy theories, at least some will suspect a plot.
Not many in the west will mourn Raisi. He was a key figure in the arrest and execution of thousands of his fellow citizens, earning him the sobriquet "the Butcher of Tehran."
