Judge Tarek Bitar questioned two Lebanese security officials for information regarding the devastating Beirut explosion in 2020, four judicial and two security officials told the Associated Press on Friday.
One of the security officials, Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim reportedly appeared in court for the first time in connection to the blast since being summoned four years prior.
Ibrahim, former head of State Security, Maj. Gen. Tony Saliba are among several high-ranking individuals being charged in connection with the explosion, which killed over 200 people in Lebanon’s capital, according to AP.
Ibrahim, who is reported to have connections with the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group, the new Syrian government, and Western nations, has previously claimed he is immune from prosecution and filed a legal challenge against the judge.
His attorneys said he appeared as a “mark of respect for the families of the martyrs and victims, his belief in justice and truth, and his commitment to upholding legal procedures and the course of justice.”
This court appearance will be Saliba’s fourth time sitting before the judge.
About the Beirut port blast
Over 200 people were killed and 6,000 wounded in a warehouse explosion in a port in Lebanon’s capital in August 2020. The damage totaled billions and is considered one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history.
Ammonium nitrate, a white chemical substance that often comes in the form of small crystal balls and is used as fertilizer as well as for bomb making, was inappropriately stored in a warehouse in the port, likely causing the explosion, the New York Times found.
Despite years of investigations, little headway has been made in seeking justice for the blast’s victims. Several officials implicated in the investigation accused Judge Bitar of bias, refused to testify, and filed legal complaints against him.
After years of political disruption and delays, the case’s resumption coincided with the election of Joseph Aoun as president and the appointment of Nawaf Salam as prime minister of Lebanon.