Beirut blast: 5 years on, Bulgaria arrest marks breakthrough in renewed probe
Bulgarian police have arrested the owner of a ship tied to the 2020 Beirut port blast as the resumed investigation progresses.
BEIRUT — Bulgarian authorities confirmed on Tuesday that the owner of a vessel suspected of importing the explosive material that caused the massive 2020 Beirut port blast has been arrested, a significant development in the investigation that resumed earlier this year.
What happened: Igor Grechushkin, a 48-year-old dual Russian-Cypriot citizen wanted by Interpol, was detained at Sofia Airport on Sept. 5 upon arriving from the Cypriot city of Paphos, Bulgarian outlets reported, citing the country’s chief of border police.
Chief Inspector Zdravko Samuilov told Bulgarian news agency BTA that Grechushkin did not resist arrest and nothing suspicious was found in his luggage.
He was placed in custody for up to 40 days on an order from the Sofia Court of Appeal, Bulgaria’s top prosecutor said in a press release issued Tuesday.
