Owner of ship linked to 2020 Beirut Port explosion arrested in Bulgaria

In a judicial move that could revive the long-stalled Beirut port explosion case, Bulgarian authorities announced arresting the owner of the vessel Rhosus, which transported the catastrophic ammonium nitrate shipment to the Lebanese capital back in 2013. 

This unexpected development comes more than five years after the devastating explosion on August 4, 2020, which killed over 200 people and destroyed large parts of Beirut.

The arrest of the ship’s owner, who had remained out of sight for years, offers new hope to the victims’ families demanding justice and accountability.

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Who is the ship owner?

Initial reports indicate that the arrest was carried out based on an international arrest warrant issued by Interpol at the request of the Lebanese judiciary.

The owner, a businessman, is believed to have played a key role in bringing the dangerous shipment to Beirut’s port, where it was unloaded and stored for years under unsafe conditions, ultimately leading to the catastrophe.

A step toward justice?

Investigators and human rights activists hope this arrest will uncover new leads in a probe that has faced significant political and legal obstacles in Lebanon.

Legal proceedings are expected to begin for the extradition of the detainee to Lebanese authorities, which could pave the way for questioning other key figures and uncovering the full truth behind the “shipment of death” that reached the heart of Beirut.

The Lebanese public and victims’ families are watching anxiously in anticipation of developments, hoping that this arrest marks a real step toward justice for the victims of one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history.