Arrest in Bulgaria Revives Beirut Port Blast Investigation By The Media Line A Russian-Cypriot shipowner wanted over the devastating 2020 Beirut port explosion has been arrested in Bulgaria, officials confirmed Tuesday. Igor Grechushkin, 48, was detained at Sofia airport on September 5 after arriving from Cyprus under an Interpol red notice. Lebanese investigators identified Grechushkin […]
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The Media Line: Arrest in Bulgaria Revives Beirut Port Blast Investigation
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Arrest in Bulgaria Revives Beirut Port Blast Investigation
A Russian-Cypriot shipowner wanted over the devastating 2020 Beirut port explosion has been arrested in Bulgaria, officials confirmed Tuesday. Igor Grechushkin, 48, was detained at Sofia airport on September 5 after arriving from Cyprus under an Interpol red notice.
Lebanese investigators identified Grechushkin as the owner of the Rhosus, a Moldovan-flagged cargo ship that carried the 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate from Georgia in 2013. The vessel was impounded after running into “technical problems,” and its cargo was moved into a port warehouse where it remained until the blast. The Rhosus eventually sank in the port of Beirut in 2018.
“He has been placed in detention for a maximum duration of 40 days by a court decision on September 7, confirmed on appeal,” a Sofia city court spokeswoman said. Bulgarian prosecutors stated that Lebanese authorities are seeking him for allegedly “introducing explosives into Lebanon, a terrorist act that resulted in the death of a large number of people.”
Zdravko Samuilov, head of border police at Sofia airport, told reporters that Grechushkin offered no resistance when stopped during a routine passenger check. “He repeatedly insisted on speaking to a lawyer and, after consulting one, he fully cooperated,” Samuilov said.
The August 4, 2020, blast, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, killed more than 220 people, injured over 6,500, and destroyed large parts of the Lebanese capital. Authorities stated that the disaster was caused by the ignition of tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a deteriorating warehouse following a fire. The chemical shipment had been abandoned in Beirut for years despite repeated warnings to senior officials about its dangers.
Lebanon’s investigation into the port explosion has faced years of political interference and legal challenges. Judge Tarek Bitar recently resumed his inquiry, questioning senior military officials and former Prime Minister Hassan Diab. The case remains one of Lebanon’s most sensitive political and judicial disputes since the disaster.