PM Diab questions fate of unexploded ammonium nitrate from Beirut port

PM Diab questions fate of unexploded ammonium nitrate from Beirut port

Author: Tue, 2020-12-29 20:46

BEIRUT: An FBI probe into the Aug. 4 explosion at the Beirut port found it was caused by 500 tons of ammonium nitrate, Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab said on Tuesday.

Diab, who quit following the blast that killed more than 200 people and inflicted billions of dollars in damage, earlier said that more than 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate had been stored at a port hangar for years.

Diab said he was surprised that "the security services, who were aware of the existence of 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate in one of the hangars of the Beirut port, did not raise this issue during 20 sessions held by the Supreme Defense Council before the explosion took place on Aug. 4.“

He added: "From 2014 to the present day, none of the members of the Supreme Defense Council informed the Lebanese president, who is the head of the council, about the existence of this substance.“

Diab revealed in an interview after months of silence that "an opening was made in Hangar 12, where the ammonium nitrate was stored.“

He said: "The amount of ammonium nitrate that exploded was estimated by the FBI report to be 500 tons. Does anyone know when and