Lebanon judge to open inquiry into deadly Beirut explosions

Aug. 17 (UPI) -- A Lebanese judge is expected to start an investigation Monday to the explosions this month that leveled a port in Beirut and killed at least 200 people.

judge Fadi Sawan will lead the domestic inquiry amid skepticism among Lebanese who blame local politicians for the blasts.

Authorities have said the explosions were likely set off by 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored at the port. The explosions left more than 600,000 Beirut residents homeless.

U.S. officials said over the weekend a team from the Federal Bureau of Investigation was headed to Lebanon to aid in the investigation.

Lebanese authorities have so far arrested more than a dozen people in connection to the disaster.

Lebanon President Michel Aoun has rejected calls for an international investigation, saying it would distort "the truth" and slow the process.

International victim's attorney Nada Abdelsater Abou Samra said an international investigation is the only way to find an unbiased answer.

"We are demanding the United Nations Security Council to send an international fact-finding mission," Samra said, calling the explosions a "crime against humanity" and a "massacre."

Samra said many Lebanese feel local politicians will be more concerned with protecting each other than holding officials accountable.

"We've lost trust in all of them," Samra said. "They are protecting each other."