SOFIA, Bulgaria (BN24) — Authorities in Bulgaria have arrested the Russian owner of a cargo ship tied to the ammonium nitrate stockpile that triggered the catastrophic 2020 Beirut port explosion, Lebanese judicial officials said Monday.
The arrest of Igor Grechushkin, who also holds Cypriot nationality, comes nearly five years after Lebanese investigators issued Interpol arrest warrants for him and the ship’s captain, Boris Prokoshev, also a Russian citizen. Both men were linked to the vessel that carried the chemicals into Beirut’s port before they were stored improperly for years, ultimately sparking one of the deadliest non-nuclear explosions in history.
According to Lebanese officials, Grechushkin was taken into custody last week at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport after arriving on a flight from Cyprus. They said Lebanese authorities are preparing extradition papers requesting that Grechushkin be handed over for questioning in Beirut. If extradition is denied, investigators may travel to Bulgaria to question him directly.
The Beirut blast on Aug. 4, 2020, killed at least 218 people, wounded more than 6,000 and flattened entire neighborhoods in the Lebanese capital, leaving billions of dollars in damage. Despite the devastation, no senior Lebanese official has been convicted in connection with the tragedy, fueling public anger and deep mistrust in the state.
Earlier this year, Lebanon swore in President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who promised to revive the stalled probe and pursue accountability as part of a reformist agenda. In July, investigative judge Tarek Bitar summoned senior political, judicial and security officials as part of a renewed push to uncover responsibility for the disaster.
Lebanese officials say Grechushkin’s arrest represents a significant development in the yearslong investigation. Authorities in Bulgaria have not yet publicly commented on the detention.
