Shipowner Linked To Beirut Port Blast Held In Bulgaria
A shipowner wanted over a 2020 blast at Beirut port that killed more than 220 people has been arrested in Bulgaria.
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The catastrophic explosion on August 4, 2020 ranks among the largest non-nuclear blasts in world history.
Bulgarian officials confirmed Tuesday that authorities have apprehended a shipowner sought in connection with the 2020 Beirut port explosion that claimed more than 220 lives.
This devastating incident from August 4, 2020 stands as one of history's most powerful non-nuclear explosions, destroying large sections of Lebanon's capital and leaving over 6,500 people injured.
Investigators determined that the explosion was caused by a fire igniting a warehouse containing thousands of tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrate fertilizer, which had remained there for years despite multiple warnings to high-ranking officials.
Beirut authorities identified 48-year-old Igor Grechushkin, a Russian-Cypriot national, as the owner of the Rhosus vessel that transported the hazardous ammonium nitrate.
In 2021, Interpol issued red notices for Grechushkin and two other individuals.
A Sofia city court spokeswoman informed AFP that Grechushkin "has been placed in detention for a maximum duration of 40 days by a court decision on September 7, confirmed on appeal."
Under Bulgarian law, authorities requesting extradition have 40 days to submit the required documentation to complete the process.
Grechushkin was detained at Sofia airport on September 5 upon arriving from Paphos in Cyprus, according to a Bulgarian judicial source who confirmed this to AFP.
The Bulgarian prosecutor's office stated that Lebanese judicial authorities want him for allegedly "introducing explosives into Lebanon, a terrorist act that resulted in the death of a large number of people, disabling machinery with the intent of sinking a ship."
Border police apprehended Grechushkin during a standard check of passengers arriving from Paphos.
"He offered no resistance. He repeatedly insisted on speaking to a lawyer and, after consulting one, he fully cooperated," explained Zdravko Samuilov, head of border police at Sofia Airport, during a Tuesday press briefing.
Samuilov added that Grechushkin told officers he had come to Bulgaria "for tourism."
The Rhosus, a Moldovan-flagged cargo vessel traveling from Georgia to Mozambique, reportedly brought the fertilizer to Beirut in 2013.
After reaching Lebanon, the ship encountered "technical problems," and security officials reported it was impounded following a lawsuit filed by a Lebanese company against its owner.
Port authorities unloaded the ammonium nitrate and stored it in a deteriorating warehouse with cracked walls.
The vessel subsequently sank in Beirut port in 2018.
The blast investigation has been hindered by legal complications and political interference.
Judge Tarek Bitar resumed the investigation earlier this year amid shifting power dynamics in Lebanon.
This resumption followed the Israel-Hezbollah conflict that weakened the Iran-supported group, which had previously led efforts demanding Bitar's removal.
Those questioned during the investigation include former Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab and various military and security officials.