Judge in Beirut port blast demands arrest of former minister

By BASSEM MROUE
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese judicial officials say the judge leading the investigation into last year’s massive blast in Beirut’s port has demanded that a former Cabinet minister be arrested. Friday’s development comes three days after a Lebanese court cleared the way for the judge to resume his work on the probe following a suspension that had lasted over a month. The investigation was suspended because of legal challenges filed by former officials the judge had implicated in the case. The August 2020 blast at Beirut’s port killed at least 216 people, injured thousands and devastated entire neighborhoods of the Lebanese capital.