Bulgaria arrests Russian owner in 2020 Beirut port blast case
Bulgarian authorities arrested the Russian owner of the cargo ship carrying ammonium nitrate that caused the 2020 Beirut port explosion, the AP reported on Sept. 16.
Lebanese officials said Igor Grechushkin was arrested nearly five years after a Lebanese investigating judge issued Interpol warrants for him and the vessel’s captain, Boris Prokoshev, who is also a Russian citizen.
Bulgarian court officials said they are preparing documents to transfer Grechushkin to Lebanon for questioning. If Lebanon’s extradition request is denied, they added, Lebanese investigators may travel to Bulgaria to conduct the interview on site.
Four Lebanese judicial officials, who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Grechushkin, who also holds Cypriot citizenship, was arrested last week at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport after arriving on a flight from Cyprus.
At least 218 people died and more than 6,000 were injured in the Aug. 4, 2020, explosion, which devastated large areas of Beirut and caused billions of dollars in damage. No Lebanese official has been convicted in connection with the incident, the report notes.
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