The judge leading Beirut blast probe: Discreet and defiant

By SARAH EL DEEB and BASSEM MROUE
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — For eight months, a relatively obscure Lebanese judge has been quietly investigating one of the world’s worst non-nuclear explosions with only four assistants — and a lot of powerful detractors trying to block him. Tarek Bitar has now become a household name in Lebanon and a staple on every news bulletin. For many Lebanese, the man investigating last year’s Beirut port explosion is their only hope for truth and accountability in a country that craves both. But for the country’s entrenched political class, the 47-year-old Bitar has become a nightmare that needs to be dealt with.