The lead investigator into the Beirut port explosion, Judge Tarek Bitar, traveled to Bulgaria to interrogate the owner of the ship Rosso, Igor Grechushkin. This long-awaited step comes after a Bulgarian court rejected Lebanon's request to extradite Grechushkin for questioning. His vessel transported the ammonium nitrate that exploded in August 2020, killing over 220 people and injuring thousands. A judicial source stated that Bitar arrived in Sofia via Istanbul and will be questioned in the presence of Bulgarian judges. Lebanese authorities are counting on Grechushkin's testimony and the information he possesses regarding the ammonium nitrate cargo, as well as who ordered and financed its transport. It was later revealed that several officials at various levels were aware of the risks of storing the material but did nothing.
