Lebanon’s top court suspends arrest warrant for former cabinet minister in Beirut port blast case

By BASSEM MROUE
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Judicial officials say a judge at Lebanon’s highest court has suspended an arrest warrant against a former cabinet minister in the case of the massive 2020 Beirut port blast. The Court of Cassation’s judge lifted the warrant Tuesday against former public works minister, Youssef Fenianos. In 2021, Judge Tarek Bitar, who has led the investigation into the explosion, issued a warrant against Fenianos. Bitar accused Fenianos and three other former senior government officials of intentional killing and negligence that led to the deaths of more than 200 people in the explosion. Despite arrest warrants issued, no one has so far been detained.