Police in Chile arrested a Portuguese man wanted by Interpol on Wednesday in connection with the 2020 Beirut port blast that devastated the Lebanese capital and killed more than 215 people.
The man, who was not identified, was stopped by agents of the Chilean Investigation Police when he arrived in Santiago on a flight from Spain. He was sent back to Madrid, police said.
The warrant for his arrest states he is wanted for his involvement in bringing “explosive elements” into Lebanon that were linked to the huge blast at Beirut’s port on August 4, 2020, said airport police official Christian Saez, according to the Associated Press.
The man was prevented from entering Chile and put on a plane back to Spain in co-ordination with Interpol, said Saez.
On August 4, 2020, a fire at a warehouse at the Beirut port spread to a stockpile of tons of abandoned ammonium nitrate, a chemical used in fertilizer or industrial explosives.
Source: Agencies
