FBI to join Beirut blast probe —US envoy

Published August 13, 2020 10:57pm

An aerial view taken on August 7, 2020, shows a partial view of the port of Beirut and the crater caused by the colossal explosion three days earlier of a huge pile of ammonium nitrate that had languished for years in a port warehouse. The blast left scores of people dead or injured and caused devastation in the Lebanese capital. The city of Beirut can be seen in the background. AFP

BEIRUT, Lebanon — The FBI will join investigators probing the causes of a huge port blast that destroyed swathes of Beirut, the top career diplomat at the US State Department said Thursday.

"The FBI will soon join Lebanese and international investigators, at the invitation of the Lebanese, in order to help answer questions that I know everyone has about the circumstances that led up to this explosion," David Hale told reporters during a tour of a heavily damaged neighborhood near the port. — Agence France-Presse

Tags: lebanon, beirutblast, fbi, federalbureauofinvestigation