A shipowner wanted for his alleged role in the devastating 2020 Beirut port blast, which claimed over 220 lives, has been arrested in Bulgaria, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
The catastrophic explosion on August 4, 2020, is regarded as one of the largest non-nuclear blasts in history, causing extensive damage across the Lebanese capital and injuring more than 6,500 individuals.
Authorities reported that the disaster was ignited by a fire in a warehouse where large quantities of ammonium nitrate fertilizer had been improperly stored for years after arriving by ship, despite multiple warnings to senior officials.
Igor Grechushkin, a 48-year-old Russian-Cypriot citizen, has been identified as the owner of the Rhosus, the vessel that transported the ammonium nitrate. In 2021, Interpol issued red notices for Grechushkin and two others.
According to a Sofia city court spokeswoman, Grechushkin has been detained for a maximum of 40 days following a court decision on September 7, which was upheld on appeal. Authorities seeking his extradition have 40 days to submit the necessary documentation as per Bulgarian law.
Grechushkin was apprehended at Sofia airport on September 5, based on an Interpol red notice, after arriving from Paphos, Cyprus. The Bulgarian prosecutor’s office stated that he is wanted by Lebanese judicial authorities for allegedly “introducing explosives into Lebanon, a terrorist act that resulted in the death of a large number of people, and disabling machinery with the intent of sinking a ship.”
During a routine passenger check, border police detained Grechushkin, who reportedly offered no resistance. He expressed a desire to speak with a lawyer and subsequently cooperated fully with authorities, stating he was in Bulgaria for tourism.
The Rhosus, a Moldovan-flagged cargo ship, was en route from Georgia to Mozambique when it brought the ammonium nitrate to Beirut in 2013. After arriving, the ship encountered technical issues and was impounded following a lawsuit filed by a Lebanese company against its owner. The ammonium nitrate was then unloaded and stored in a dilapidated port warehouse, which had visible cracks in its walls, according to officials. The Rhosus eventually sank in Beirut port in 2018.
The investigation into the blast has faced significant delays due to legal and political complexities. Judge Tarek Bitar resumed the investigation this year amidst a shift in Lebanon’s political landscape, following a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that diminished the influence of the Iran-backed militant group, which had previously advocated for Bitar’s resignation. Notable figures questioned in the investigation include former Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab and various military and security officials.
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