SOFIA (Reuters) -Police in Bulgaria have arrested the Russian owner of a ship that brought the explosive material that detonated at Beirut port in August 2020, killing more than 200 people, Bulgarian media reported on Tuesday.
Igor Grechushkin, a Russian businessman based in Cyprus, was detained for possible extradition to Lebanon, where he is wanted for his role in the blast, Bulgarian National Radio and other outlets reported.
Authorities in Bulgaria did not comment on the case, but Bulgaria’s prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Tuesday that it had detained a Russian and Cypriot dual citizen with the initials I.G. “for the purpose of extradition” to Lebanon.
The Sofia City Court ruled that the man could be held for up to 40 days, it said.
“During the period of temporary detention, the competent authorities of Lebanon shall provide the Prosecutor’s Office with the extradition request and accompanying documents,” the statement said.
Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nasser did not immediately respond to requests for comment
Grechushkin was placed on Interpol’s wanted list at the request of the Lebanese judicial authorities in 2020.
Lebanon’s probe into the causes of the blast and possible negligence by top Lebanese officials has faced stops and starts over the last five years, with families of the explosion’s victims blaming political interference.
The first investigative judge was removed from the Lebanese inquiry in response to complaints from top officials whom he had charged. His successor, Tarek Bitar, also charged top politicians but they refused to be interrogated, denied wrongdoing and froze his probe.
Bitar resumed his investigation earlier this year and has questioned several officials in recent months – but he has yet to issue a long-awaited preliminary indictment.
(Reporting by Georgi Slavov in Sofia; Additional reporting by Stoyan Nenov in Sofia and Maya Gebeily in Beirut; Writing by Edward McAllisterEditing by Gareth Jones)
