OREANDA-NEWS. A court in Lebanon has requested an international arrest warrant for the owner and captain of the ship carrying the saltpeter cargo that caused the explosion in Beirut in the beginning of August. The ship Rhosus belongs to Igor Grechushkin, the captain is Boris Prokoshev. Both are the citizens of the Russian Federation.

Agence France-Presse informs that Judge Fadi Sawan, who is investigating the case, has issued two arrest warrants in absentia for the owner of Rhosus and the ship’s captain. He gave the names of the Russians to the state prosecution representatives, who sent them to Interpol and asked to issue an international notice of their arrest.

On August 4 an explosion occurred at a port warehouse in Beirut. More than 170 people died. After the catastrophe, riots broke out in the Lebanese capital: protesters accused the authorities of inaction, which led to the deaths. The Lebanese government, led by Prime Minister Hassan Diab, has resigned.