FBI probe report shows chemicals in Beirut blast was a fraction of original shipment

FBI probe report shows chemicals in Beirut blast was a fraction of original shipment

The amount of ammonium nitrate that blew up at Beirut port last year was one fifth of the shipment unloaded there in 2013, the FBI concluded after the blast, adding to suspicions that much of the cargo had gone missing.As the first anniversary approaches on August 4, major questions remain unanswered, including how a huge quantity of ammonium nitrate -- which can be used to make fertilizer or bombs -- was left unsafely stored in a capital city for years.

For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The blast was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded, killing more than 200 people, wounding thousands, and devastating swathes of Beirut.The FBI’s Oct. 7, 2020 report, which was seen by Reuters this week, estimates around 552 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded that day, much less than the 2,754 tonnes that arrived on a Russian-leased cargo ship in 2013.The FBI report does not give any explanation as to how the discrepancy arose, or where the rest of the shipment may have gone.In response to a detailed request for comment, an FBI spokesperson referred Reuters to the Lebanese authorities.FBI investigators came to Beirut after the blast at Lebanon’s