Lebanese prosecutor orders release of 17 detainees in 2020 Beirut explosion

Lebanon’s Prosecutor General Ghassan Oweidat on Wednesday ordered the release of 17 suspects detained in the investigation of a deadly explosion in 2020. In that event, hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate exploded at a seaport in Beirut, damaging the city, killing 218 people, and injuring 7,000 others.

How has Beirut responded since the explosion? Many Lebanese people view the explosion as symbolic of the corruption among politicians who have led the country into financial collapse. The Lebanese pound has lost over 95 percent of its value over the last two years, while those in Lebanon struggle to access fuel, electricity, medicine, and clean water.

Dig deeper: Read Mindy Belz’s report in WORLD Magazine about the explosion’s impact on Christian communities.