Geagea Says Port Blast ‘Crime’ Won’t Go Unpunished
Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea said Monday that two months have passed since the colossal port explosion and the Lebanese people still have “no clear definition of the responsibilities.”
“More than two months have passed since the port explosion that killed around 200 people, wounded thousands and inflicted damages on tens of thousands. Until this moment no indication emerged about the nature of this sinful explosion or about those responsible,” said Geagea in a statement.
“It's not a normal crime,” said Geagea about the explosion of 2,500 tons of ammonium nitrate. Adding that “in similar cases the judiciary, the related authorities and justice ministry are required to put the Lebanese in the picture of investigations, but we have not seen this happen.”
“We will not allow this crime to pass without a clear definition of responsibilities,” he said, regardless of how “high-level” are the one involved, said Geagea.
A massive blast at Beirut’s port killed nearly 200 people, injured about 6,500 and caused damage worth billions of dollars. Nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive chemical used in fertilizers, exploded at Beirut’s port on Aug. 4. The material had been stored at the facility for six years.
It is still not known what ignited the nitrate but more than two dozen people, many of them port and customs officials have been detained since.
Source: Naharnet
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