Authorities in Chile apprehended a Portuguese man wanted in connection with the Beirut port explosion. The individual was wanted by Interpol and was apprehended after landing in Santiago on a flight from Spain.

He is suspected of importing “explosive components” into Lebanon in connection with the August 2020 explosion in Beirut’s harbour.

A fire in a warehouse where hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate had been kept for years “without preventative procedures” caused the disaster, which killed at least 218 people. NGOs and victims’ families have accused Lebanon’s authorities of prolonging the probe in order to avoid prosecution.

A judicial source told AFP in January 2021 that “red notices” had been issued against three people in connection with the incident.

This apparently included the owner and captain of the “Rhosus” ship, which had delivered the ammonium nitrate to Beirut, as well as a Portuguese businessman who had commissioned the shipment.

A Moldovan-flagged ship bound for Mozambique from Georgia brought around 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate to the Lebanese capital in November 2013. The ship sank in 2018 after being stored in a decaying warehouse by port authorities.

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