Lebanon: Seven charged over UN peacekeeper Rooney's killing
Jan 06, 2023
Beirut [Lebanon], January 6: Lebanon's military tribunal has charged seven suspects for participating in an attack last month that killed a United Nations peacekeeper when the convoy that was carrying him came under attack, according to several officials.
Irish Private Sean Rooney, 23, was killed and three other peacekeepers were wounded on December 14 when a group of armed men shot at the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) vehicle near the village of al-Aqbiya in southern Lebanon, a centre of support for the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which has denied any role in the killing.
In late December, the Lebanese military arrested a suspect "in cooperation with Hezbollah", according to the Iran-backed Shia group, which said the man was not one of its members.
The arrested man and six other fugitives were charged in the attack, according to a judicial official familiar with the investigation, a legal official following the case and a military official. All spoke to news agencies on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
The officials said a search was under way for the other six suspects and that authorities were trying to determine whether they had left thecountry.
Source: Qatar Tribune
