Beirut Blast Ship Owner Arrested in Bulgaria

Bulgarian authorities have detained Igor Grechushkin, the Russian shipowner linked to the 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that triggered the devastating Beirut port explosion in August 2020, Lebanese judicial officials confirmed yesterday.

Grechushkin, who also holds Cypriot citizenship, was arrested last week at Sofia’s Vasil Levski airport after flying in from Cyprus. His capture comes nearly five years after a Lebanese judge requested Interpol red notices for him and the ship’s captain, Boris Prokoshev.

Officials in Beirut are now preparing extradition papers to have Grechushkin sent to Lebanon. If extradition is denied, investigators say they are ready to travel to Bulgaria to question him directly.

The August 4, 2020, explosion destroyed large parts of the Lebanese capital, killing at least 218 people, injuring over 6,000, and causing billions of dollars in damage. It remains among the most powerful non-nuclear blasts ever recorded.

The blast was traced back to the Moldovan-flagged Rhosus, which had been abandoned in Beirut in 2013 after suffering engine failure while transporting ammonium nitrate from Georgia to Mozambique. Under Grechushkin’s ownership, the ship was impounded for unpaid fees, and its cargo was moved into a warehouse at the port. Left under poor storage conditions for years, the material eventually ignited in 2020.

Despite widespread outrage and multiple indictments, no senior Lebanese political figure has been convicted in connection with the disaster. An initial investigation led by judge Fadi Sawan, who charged then-prime minister Hassan Diab and three ministers with negligence, collapsed under political pushback. His successor, judge Tarek Bitar, resumed proceedings last year and summoned senior officials as part of renewed efforts to pursue accountability.

Lebanon’s newly elected reformist leadership - President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam - has pledged to see the investigation through to completion.