A Bulgarian court has rejected Lebanon’s request to extradite Igor Grechushkin, a Russian-Cypriot shipowner wanted in connection with the 2020 Beirut port explosion, a hammer blow for the city that came during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic and amid a deepening economic crisis.
Grechushkin, 48, is the former owner of the Rhosus, the ship allegedly carrying the ammonium nitrate that detonated at Beirut port on August 4, 2020.
The blast killed at least 218 people, injured at least 6,500, and devastated large parts of Beirut, leaving tens of thousands homeless.
It was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded, generating a seismic event of 3.3 magnitude felt as far away as Syria, Israel and Cyprus.
Grechushkin was detained in Bulgaria in September on an Interpol notice issued at Lebanon’s request and has been held pending extradition proceedings.
Credit: aljazeera.com
