One of the Syrian regime-affiliated businessmen implicated in the massive explosion that tore through Beirut last year is denying links to the London-based company believed to have shipped the explosive chemicals that ended up in the Lebanese capital.
Lebanese authorities say the August explosion was caused by some 2,700 tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate stored unsafely at the city’s port since 2014. The blast killed nearly 200 people, wounded 6,500 and left a quarter of a million residents without homes.