Elise Knutsen
Hundreds of hours of mathematical computations and computer simulations were conducted by experts examining the crater left by the massive bomb which killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri 10 years ago, the Special Tribunal heard Monday.
Professor Daniel Ambrossini, an Argentine explosives expert, told the court that he and a colleague analyzed different scenarios to explain the size of the crater and the damage to surrounding buildings.
While the prosecution maintains that a Mitsubishi truck loaded with approximately 2,500 kilograms of explosives caused the blast which killed Hariri and 21 others, the defense has argued that alternative theories, namely an underground bomb, have not been fully ruled out.
In court Monday, Ambrossini explained the types of craters expected from above ground bombs, underground bombs buried beneath a layer of soil, and uncovered underground bombs. With mathematical models, computer simulations and even physical trials with live explosives at their disposal, Ambrossini and his colleague, Professor Bibiana Luccioni, determined that an above ground bomb was responsible for the blast that killed Hariri.
Defense counsel representing the five Hezbollah members suspected of plotting the terrorist attack will cross-examine Ambrossini later this week. The fact that Ambrossini and Luccioni did not have immediate access to the crater and only examined the damage to the surrounding structures two years after the blast will likely figure prominently in the cross-examination. Previously, the defense has also raised issue with the crime scene, which was left unsecured in the days after the attack.
This is not the first time Ambrossini and Luccioni have been involved in a high profile criminal case. They co-authored a report related to the 1994 explosion in Buenos Aires, which targeted a Jewish Center and left 85 people dead. Argentine investigators have long claimed that Hezbollah was behind that attack.
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