Lebanese Presidency issued a statement in which it responded to the various media outlets which mentioned that President Michel Aoun was informed by the General Directorate of State Security on 20-8-2020 about “the presence of a large amount of ammonium nitrate in one of the warehouses of the Beirut Port”, confirming that when the aforementioned report reached the President, the President’s Security and Military Adviser informed the Secretary-General of the Supreme Defense Council, in the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, about this report to take necessary actions.
The statement noted that the Secretary-General of the Council may in turn inform the text of the report in accordance with the rules and regulations of what was stated in the explanatory statement on 8-8-2020 and refer it to relevant references.
“The Presidency of the Republic is keen on ensuring that the judicial forensic investigation takes its full extent in accordance with the texts in force, using all the experiences it deems necessary to clarify the full truth about the explosion, its circumstances and those responsible at all levels.”
On August 4, two massive blasts rocked Beirut port, killing around 170 people and injuring more than 6000. Further, almost 30 are still missing.
The explosions, which obliterated the port, destroyed many buildings in its vicinity and damaged a large number of constructions in the capital, resulted from the detonation of 2750 tons of Ammonium nitrate stored inside of the port’s warehouses.
Investigations into the blast started immediately after it occurred as the General Director of Customs Badri Daher, former Customs Director Chafic Merhi, Director General of Beirut Port Hassan Koraytem and a number of employees were arrested in connection to this case.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
