Lebanon judge issues arrest warrant for MP over port blast
ABC News
Lebanon's state news agency says the judge leading the investigation into last year’s massive explosion at Beirut’s port has issued an arrest warrant for a former Cabinet minister after he didn't show up for questioning
BEIRUT -- The judge leading Lebanon's probe into last year’s massive Beirut port explosion issued an arrest warrant Tuesday for a former Cabinet minister, a show of defiance against an entrenched political class that has closed ranks against him.
Judge Tarek Bitar issued the warrant shortly before he was notified of a much-anticipated lawsuit filed by two defendants seeking to remove him from his post, Lebanon's National News Agency reported. The lawsuit automatically suspended the investigation, the second time in less than a month that defendants have managed to curtail it.
The developments came hours after harsh criticism was leveled against Bitar by Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Nasrallah called Bitar's investigation a “big mistake” and said it was biased. He asked authorities to remove Bitar.
Tuesday's events marked the latest twists in the saga of the troubled investigation into the massive August 2020 blast at Beirut’s port that killed at least 215 people, injured thousands more and devastated entire neighborhoods of the Lebanese capital.
