The Lebanese judge in charge of the investigation into the explosion which ravaged the port of Beirut on August 4 and part of the Lebanese capital issued two new arrest warrants on Friday, a judicial source told AFP.
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“The investigating judge, Fadi Sawan, continued his investigations (…) and today issued two arrest warrants,” said this source.
According to the national news agency, they are Hanna Fares, the director of customs in Beirut, and Nayla al-Hajj, an engineer in a company responsible for maintenance work in hangar No. 12. , where the explosion was triggered.
The gigantic explosion which shook the Lebanese capital, killing at least 181 dead and more than 6,500 injured, had been blamed by the authorities for the storage for six years “without precautionary measures” of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate in a warehouse in Port of Beirut.
Authorities are investigating the origin of the blast that devastated entire swathes of the capital and left around 300,000 people homeless.
A total of six suspects, among 25 people prosecuted in the case, have been the subject of arrest warrants since August 4, including the director general of the port, Hassan Koraytem, and the director general of customs, Badri Daher. .
The Lebanese authorities, accused by many of being responsible for the tragedy through their corruption and negligence, have rejected the idea of an international investigation despite the voices raised in Lebanon and abroad to this effect.
However, investigators from the US Federal Police (FBI) arrived in Lebanon at the request of the Lebanese authorities to assist them in the investigation. France, which has two nationals killed in the explosion, has opened its own investigation.