Prosecutor Orders Release of Beirut Port Blast Detainees

BEIRUT (AP) Lebanons top prosecutor Wednesday ordered all suspects detained in the deadly 2020 port blast in Beirut released, a lawyer for two detainees and judicial officials said.

The move by chief prosecutor Ghassan Oweidat is another blow to the investigation, which has stalled for years. The probe has threatened to rattle Lebanons ruling elite, which is rife with corruption and mismanagement and has helped push the country into an unprecedented economic meltdown.

The decision came after Judge Tarek Bitar on Monday resumed the investigation into the devastating port blast, following a 13-month halt over legal challenges raised by politicians accused in the probe including the chief prosecutor.

Seventeen detainees have been held for years in pre-trial detention after the massive port blast on Aug. 4, 2020. Hundreds of tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate, a material used in fertilizers, detonated at Beirut Port, killing 218 people, injuring over 6,000 and damaging large parts of the Lebanese capital.