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Gunshots broke out near the protests led by Hezbollah, demanding that the judge be removed from the Beirut bombing investigation.
Beirut, Lebanon- At least one person was killed and many others were injured in a shooting incident near the protests led by Hezbollah in Beirut.
On Thursday, hundreds of Hezbollah supporters and allies in black gathered at the Beirut Palace of Justice, calling for the removal of the judge Tarek Bitar from the Beirut Port Bombing Investigation, accusing him of bias. And “American slaves.”
Gunfire broke out from the roof of a nearby Tayyoune community building, and angry protesters dispersed.
The Lebanese army intervened and arrested one of the gunmen. The identity and affiliation of the shooter is unclear.
A source at the Sahel General Hospital in Beirut told Al Jazeera that at least one person was killed and eight others were injured.
The protests took place two days after Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah’s harshest criticism of Bitar so far. Nasrallah accused Bitar of “politically targeting” officials during the investigation.
Supporters of Hezbollah and Amal chanted slogans against judge Tarek Bitar who was investigating the fatal bombing in Beirut last year [Hussein Malla/AP Photo]Mehieddine Lazkani, 29, was killed in the explosion.
The Lebanese pound has depreciated by 90% in two years, and the power crisis has paralyzed public life. According to the United Nations, approximately three-quarters of the population lives in poverty. Many Lebanese blame the crisis on rampant corruption and financial mismanagement in Lebanon’s ruling party and banks.
Mehieddine Lazki, 29, who lost his father in the port bombing, told Al Jazeera: “It’s shameful in every way.” “Lebanese pound is 21,000 to the U.S. dollar. There is no electricity or medicine, but they think they should. Protest and replace Judge Bitar?”
For several months, Bitar has been trying to hunt down former ministers Ali Hassan Khalil, Gazi Zet, Nuhad Mahnuk, Yusuf Finjanos and former Prime Minister Hassan · Diab. Khalil and Zeiter belong to the Amal movement, which is a Shiite political party led by Speaker Nabih Berri and has a close relationship with Hezbollah.
The judge also called for the summons of Major General Abbas Ibrahim, the head of security, and Major General Tony Saliba, the head of national security. However, the Ministry of the Interior and the High National Defense Council did not allow him to do so.
Before protesting against Judge Tarek Bitar, Army soldiers stood guard near the Ministry of Justice [Mohamed Azakir/Reuters]Khalil and Zeiter issued a legal complaint on Tuesday, forcing Bitar to temporarily suspend the investigation after issuing an arrest warrant to Khalil. The European Union and the US State Department have called for the investigation to be resumed without hindrance.
On August 4, 2020, an explosion occurred in Beirut Port, killing more than 200 people and injuring more than 6,500 people. At that time, a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored in the port unsafe for many years exploded.
This explosion is one of the largest non-nuclear explosions on record and the single most destructive event in Lebanon’s troubled history. Entire neighborhoods in the country’s capital were destroyed and no officials were convicted.
President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Mikati continued to publicly support Judge Bitar. Mikati said Lebanon could not bear the removal of the second judge from the bombing investigation.
However, according to reports, ministers from Hezbollah, Amal and some allies have pressured the cabinet to take a formal stance on Bitar.
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