May 16, 2023
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Earlier last year, a ship loaded with explosive ammonium nitrate cargo discharged the cargo in Beirut. The warehouse containing the same explosive cargo blasted at Beirut port rocking the city for hours and now a report emerges in Lebanon state media suggesting that Interpol had served red notices to the captain and owner of the ship months before the incident.
According to a statement issued by the Lebanon government, Interpol has sought approval for arresting 3 men involved with the supply of the chemical that caused the explosion in late August last year.
Apparently, the International Criminal Police Organization issued Red Notices for the Russian captain and the Russian owner of the ship which shipped 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate to Beirut port back in 2013. Another notice was issued for the Portuguese merchant who discovered this explosive material warehouse in Beirut in 2014.
These explosives exploded in August 2020 killing more than 200 people in Beirut and heightening the covid crisis in the region. The Lebanon government aided by the US government launched an investigation into the matter.
The international organization facilitating police cooperation across nations, Interpol’s issued Red Notices are nonabiding law enforcement requests which can temporarily take people into custody. However, Interpol hasn’t issued any statement acknowledging these red notices which aren’t available on their database.
According to a National News Agency report, the Lebanese Judge Ghassan Khoury saw a copy of the notice. The government had asked Interpol to issue arrest warrants in October, 2 months after the blast.
Reference: al-monitor.com
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