Bulgarian border police have arrested Igor Grechushkin, a dual Russian-Cypriot national linked to the devastating Hezbollah-linked 2020 Beirut Port explosion that killed 218 people.
Grechushkin, identified as the owner of the ship that carried the ammonium nitrate later detonated in Beirut, was detained at Sofia Airport after arriving from Cyprus. The arrest was carried out on the basis of an Interpol Red Notice requested by Lebanon.
A Bulgarian court has approved his detention for up to 40 days while Beirut prepares a formal extradition request.
Lebanon has long sought Grechushkin and the ship’s captain in its troubled investigation into the blast, which injured thousands and flattened entire neighborhoods. The case remains politically sensitive in Lebanon, where no senior figures have yet been held accountable for the tragedy.