Bulgarian authorities have arrested a Russian businessman with dual Russian-Cypriot citizenship who owned the cargo ship linked to the catastrophic 2020 Beirut port explosion.

The owner was detained on September 6 at Sofia International Airport after arriving from Paphos, Cyprus, under an Interpol red notice issued by Lebanese judicial authorities nearly five years ago. Bulgarian officials reported that he cooperated with authorities, did not resist arrest, and no suspicious items were found in his luggage.

The Sofia City Court has authorized up to 40 days of detention while Lebanese authorities prepare extradition documents.

The explosion, which occurred on August 4, 2020, killed at least 218 people, injured over 6,000, and caused billions of dollars in damage, making it one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history. The disaster originated from 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse at Beirut port, originally transported by a Moldovan-flagged vessel owned by the arrested businessman.

The ship had been abandoned in Beirut in 2013 after engine problems and unpaid port fees, leaving its volatile cargo in unsafe storage conditions for years.

The arrest represents a significant step for Lebanese authorities seeking accountability in a case that has remained unresolved for nearly five years.