On 4 August 2020 about 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at the Port of Beirut since 2014 exploded, killing 218 people according to Human Rights Watch. The judicial investigation was stalled for years by legal challenges from officials it sought to charge. Judge Tarek Bitar concluded it in March 2026 and received the prosecution's review in September, but no indictment had been reported as of 1 November 2026.
The prosecution delivered its review of the case to Judge Bitar on 15 September 2026, AFP reported, and the next step is Bitar's indictment, which legal experts told Anadolu they expected before the end of 2026. No indictment had been reported as of 1 November 2026.
The ship Rhosus arrived in Beirut in November 2013 carrying 2,750 tonnes of high density ammonium nitrate, according to Human Rights Watch's review of official documents.
Human Rights WatchGeneral Security chief Major General Abbas Ibrahim wrote to then minister Ghazi Zeaiter about the cargo, Human Rights Watch reported.
A judge of urgent matters ordered the cargo offloaded and stored under the court's custody, according to court records cited by Human Rights Watch.
The ammonium nitrate was unloaded into Hangar 12 at the port on 23 and 24 October 2014, Human Rights Watch reported.
Human Rights WatchA State Security report concluded that port officials were negligent in not securing Hangar 12, Human Rights Watch reported. HRW said the president and prime minister failed to act in a timely way after State Security informed them.
Minister Michel Najjar received a copy of a State Security report outlining the threat on 3 August 2020, according to Human Rights Watch.
The ammonium nitrate stored at the port exploded at 18:08 local time, 15:08 UTC, according to the International Charter Space and Major Disasters, which noted a fire was reported shortly before. Human Rights Watch said the blast killed 218 people and wounded 7,000, and that repair work at Hangar 12 may have triggered it.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced his government's resignation in a televised speech, Voice of America reported, blaming the political class that has ruled since the civil war.
Judge Fadi Sawan was named judicial investigator into the explosion, Human Rights Watch reported.
In December 2020 Sawan charged caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab and former ministers Ghazi Zeaiter, Ali Hassan Khalil and Youssef Fenianos with criminal negligence, Human Rights Watch and Voice of America reported. HRW dates the charges against Zeaiter and Fenianos to 10 December. All four were charged, not convicted.
The Court of Cassation removed Sawan after a complaint by former ministers, Voice of America reported. VOA said the court found he overstepped in filing the charges and that blast damage to his home compromised his impartiality.
The judicial council agreed to caretaker Justice Minister Mary-Claude Najm's proposal to appoint Judge Tarek Bitar as lead investigator, Gulf News reported, citing a judicial source.
Former ministers Nohad Machnouk, Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zeaiter sued Bitar, arguing that only a special council could try them, L'Orient Today reported. The suit temporarily suspended the probe.
Courts dismissed the complaints against Bitar and he was cleared to resume, Reuters reported. Reuters said the three former ministers denied wrongdoing.
Bitar issued an arrest warrant for Ali Hassan Khalil after he did not appear for questioning, and the probe was suspended the same day by a new complaint from Khalil and Zeaiter, Al Jazeera reported.
The probe was halted again after former minister Youssef Fenianos accused Bitar of bias, and Bitar resumed on 7 December 2021 after that suit was overturned, L'Orient Today reported.
New complaints by Khalil and Zeaiter suspended the investigation again, L'Orient Today reported. When Bitar resumed in January 2023, AP said the probe had been halted for 13 months by legal challenges.
Bitar resumed work, charged eight officials including the chief prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat and General Security chief Major General Abbas Ibrahim, and ordered the release of five of 17 detainees, the Associated Press reported.
Oueidat charged Bitar with abusing his authority and overstepping his powers, imposed a travel ban on him and ordered the release of all detainees, AP reported. Bitar called the release decision illegal.
Bitar resumed the investigation and charged 10 people, including security, customs and military personnel, a judicial official told AFP. AFP linked the resumption to the election of President Joseph Aoun and Hezbollah's weakened influence.
Bitar questioned two people on 7 February 2025, Naharnet reported.
State Prosecutor Jamal Hajjar revoked Oueidat's earlier ruling that had barred security and judicial authorities from cooperating with Bitar, Naharnet reported, citing the National News Agency.
Igor Grechushkin, the Russian owner of a ship linked to the ammonium nitrate cargo, was arrested in Sofia on an Interpol red notice, the Associated Press reported. Bulgaria's BTA news agency said he was detained at Sofia Airport in early September.
The Sofia City Court rejected Lebanon's extradition request for Grechushkin, finding Lebanon had not given adequate assurances against the death penalty, AP and BTA reported. Prosecutors said they would appeal.
Bitar questioned Grechushkin in Bulgaria on 18 December 2025 and he used his right to remain silent, L'Orient Today reported. OCCRP had reported the planned trip a day earlier.
The Bulgarian Court of Appeal upheld the refusal to extradite Grechushkin and he was released by the Bulgarian authorities, L'Orient Today reported.
An indictment chamber confirmed an earlier decision barring prosecution of Bitar in the criminal case brought against him, LBCI reported, and rejected appeals by former customs chief Badri Daher and former minister Ali Hassan Khalil.
Bitar concluded his investigation and referred the entire file to the public prosecution for its opinion, a judicial official told AFP. AFP said around 70 people were defendants and that no one was then detained over the blast.
Ahead of the sixth anniversary, President Joseph Aoun urged the judiciary to issue the indictment, AFP reported. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on X there could be no settlement at the expense of justice.
Mohammad Saab, a prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, submitted a 270 page review of the case to Bitar, AFP and Arab News reported. A judicial official told AFP it asked Bitar to charge former President Michel Aoun, alleging prior knowledge of the ammonium nitrate and its danger, while a judicial source told Arab News it did not request charges. Michel Aoun filed a complaint over the reports, calling them rumours, Naharnet reported.
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Human Rights Watch · hrw.org
Gulf News (agencies) · gulfnews.com
Al Jazeera · aljazeera.com
Associated Press, via The Washington Times · m.washingtontimes.com
AFP, via Arab News Pakistan · arabnews.pk
OCCRP · occrp.org AFP, via Arab News Pakistan · arabnews.pk AFP, via Arab News Pakistan · arabnews.pkLast updated 1 November 2026. Spotted an error? See corrections. Every event links to the record it comes from. Allegations are attributed to whoever made them.