All 25 suspects identified in Beirut blast probe are in custody

All 25 suspects identified by a probe into the devastating August 4 Beirut explosion are now in the custody of Lebanese authorities, a judicial source tells AFP.

Authorities had already detained 21 suspects over the portside blast, which killed more than 180 people, wounded at least 6,500 others and wreaked devastation across the capital.

On Tuesday, lead investigative judge Fadi Sawan issued arrest warrants against the final four suspects after interrogating them, the judicial source says.

They include the head of military intelligence at the port, a major with the State Security agency, and two members of the General Security agency, he adds.

The two security agencies, along with the army and Lebanon’s customs authority, are the main bodies responsible for overseeing security at the port.

Hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive fertilizer, had been stored in a warehouse for at least six years, it emerged after the explosion.

That sparked widespread outrage over alleged official negligence that many said was to blame for the blast.

— AFP