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The head of the interim government in Lebanon, Hassan Diab, clarified, on Wednesday, the content of the statements that his media office quoted him, on Tuesday, in which he said that the US FBI report estimated the amount of ammonium nitrate that exploded in the port of Beirut.
In a correction published by his media office, “To clarify, President Diab relied on his speech on unofficial data attributed to the FBI, and did not receive an official report on the matter” from US investigators.
A Diab adviser told France-Presse news agency that the interim prime minister “was informed of the information circulating in the media” in terms of estimating the size of the quantity that exploded.
Lebanese authorities attributed the terrible explosion on August 4, which killed more than 200 people and injured more than 6,500, to a fire that broke out in a warehouse where, Diab announced at the time, six years ago they stored 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate without protective measures.
Diab said, according to a statement from his media office on Tuesday, during an interview with several journalists, that “the FBI report revealed that the amount that exploded was only 500 tons,” wondering “where did the 2,200 tons go? remaining”?
An “FBI” team participated in the initial investigation and the Lebanese side provided a copy of their report. Agence France-Presse was unable to verify or view the content of the report.
In response to a question from Agence France-Presse, the FBI declined to comment on the content of the report. He recalled the content of a report he issued after the blast, in which he said that a team would assist in the investigation at the request of the Lebanese government.
“As this investigation is not an FBI investigation, the office will not provide any additional comment,” the statement said, with “additional questions directed to the Lebanese authorities as they are conducting the investigation.”
Lebanon refused to conduct an international investigation into the explosion, which severely damaged the country’s main port and several neighborhoods in the capital, displacing tens of thousands of families from their homes that were damaged or destroyed.
Authorities have been investigating the explosion since it occurred, but judicial investigator Fadi Sawan announced this month that investigations would be suspended for ten days after two former ministers who allegedly requested that the case be transferred to another judge.
The blast sparked outrage among the Lebanese, especially after various reports and sources confirmed that authorities, including security services, presidents, and former and current officials, were aware of the storage of this material in the port and its dangers. .
