Lebanese judge questions former top security chiefs over Beirut port blast

Beirut, Apr 11 (AP) The Lebanese judge investigating the massive 2020 Beirut port explosion questioned two former security chiefs on Friday, including a former head of the General Security Directorate who appeared in court for the first time since being summoned nearly four years ago, according to four judicial and two security officials.
     The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media.
     The hearings mark a rare breakthrough in the long-stalled probe.
     Maj Gen Abbas Ibrahim and former head of State Security Maj Gen Tony Saliba, are among several officials charged in connection with the blast that killed over 220 people.
     The specific charges have not been disclosed.
     On August 4, 2020, hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate detonated in a Beirut Port warehouse, killing at least 218 people, injuring more than 6,000 and devastating large swaths of the capital.
     The blast, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, caused billions of dollars in damage and sent shockwaves through the nation's capital.
     Meanwhile, a French delegation is expected to submit their findings from their investigation into the explosion later in April. France initiated its own probe into the explosion in 2020 after three French nationals were killed in the blast.
     However, French judges have faced obstacles accessing documents from the Lebanese investigation, which has been hindered by political interference. (AP) NPK
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(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)