Beirut Blast: UN-Backed Special Tribunal Postpones Verdict on Killing of Ex-Lebanon PM Rafic Hariri
A day after a massive blast rocked Lebanon's capital Beirut, the United Nations-Backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Wednesday postponed its verdict in the trial over the 2005 bombing in which former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic al-Hariri was killed. The verdict has now been postponed to August 18.
Beirut, August 5: A day after a massive blast rocked Lebanon's capital Beirut, the United Nations-Backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Wednesday postponed its verdict in the trial over the 2005 bombing in which former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic al-Hariri was killed. The verdict has now been postponed to August 18. Beirut Blast: Cost of Damage Tops $3 Billion, Around 3 Lakh Left Homeless, Says Governor Marwan Abboud.
The decision was due on Friday. Rafic was assassinated in a car bomb blast in 2005. The court was expected to rule against the four accused, who are yet at large and belong to the Iran-backed Shia militant group Hezbollah. Beirut Blasts: PM Narendra Modi 'Shocked And Saddened' by Explosions That Killed Over 70 in Lebanese Capital.
In Tuesday's blast, as many as 100 people were killed, and nearly 4,000 were injured. According to two reports, two huge explosions that rocked downtown Beirut damaging the nearby buildings. President Michel Aoun said that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, used in fertilisers and bombs, had been stored for six years at the port without safety measures. He said that was "unacceptable".
According to the governor of Beirut Marwan Abboud, the blast caused damage more than $3 billion. Abboud added that the blast damage extended over half of the city. Around three lakh people were also left homeless due to the blast.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 05, 2020 11:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).