Beirut port blast: Gunfire erupts at protest against judge leading probe

One person has been shot dead and several others wounded at a protest in Beirut against the judge investigating last year's blast at the city's port.

Heavy gunfire erupted near the Palace of Justice as supporters of the Hezbollah and Amal movements demanded the replacement of Judge Tarek Bitar.

They accuse him of unfairly singling out allied former cabinet ministers for questioning on suspicion of negligence.

Earlier, a court dismissed a complaint they had brought against the judge.

Families of the victims of the port explosion had condemned the move, which caused the investigation to be suspended for the second time in three weeks.

No-one has yet been held accountable for the disaster, in which killed 219 people were killed.

A fire triggered the detonation of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a combustible chemical widely used as agricultural fertiliser, that had been stored unsafely in a port warehouse for almost six years.

Senior officials were aware of the material's existence and the danger it posed but failed to secure, remove or destroy it.

Victims' relatives and activists say the investigation into the explosion is being hampered by the Lebanese political leadership's efforts to shield politicians and officials from scrutiny.

The Court of Cassation, which is equivalent to the Supreme Court, removed the first lead judge earlier this year after he charged senior officials with negligence - the prime minster at the time of the explosion, Hassan Diab, former finance minister Ali Hassan Khalil, and former public works ministers Youssef Finyanus and Ghazi Zaiter.

The four men denied any wrongdoing and refused to be questioned as suspects, accusing the judge of overstepping his powers.

Judge Bitar was suspended after a fourth politician wanted for questioning on suspicion of negligence, former interior minister Nohad Machnouk, requested his removal. Mr Machnouk also denies wrongdoing.

Mr Khalil and Mr Zaiter filed similar complaints against the judge days later.

On Monday, the Court of Cassation rejected all three lawsuits, explaining that it did not "have the prerogatives to rule over this matter", a court official told AFP news agency.

The official said Judge Bitar could resume his investigation immediately and that he was expected to seek to question Mr Machnouk, Mr Khalil and Mr Zaiter before parliament goes back into session on 19 October, after which they will benefit from immunity from prosecution as current MPs.