Hundreds of supporters of the two Shia groups demonstrating against a court decision refusing a petition that demanded the dismissal of judicial investigator Tarek Bitar, who is handling the 2020 Beirut port probe, in Beirut, Lebanon on October 14, 2021.
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Lebanon's interior minister says five people have been killed in armed clashes in Beirut that erupted Thursday during protests against the lead investigator into last year's massive blast at the city's port.
Bassam Mawlawi told reporters Thursday that many of those injured were shot by snipers from buildings. He called the events, "a very dangerous sign."
The protest was organized by the militant Shiite group Hezbollah and its ally, the Shiite Amal Movement. They both want the lead investigator, Judge Tarek Bitar, removed from the port blast investigation.