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    Lebanese army court charges five men for Irish peacekeeper’s death

    BEIRUT (AP) – Lebanon’s military tribunal on Thursday charged five men with the killing of an Irish United Nations (UN) peacekeeper in December, a senior judicial official said. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, alleged all five are linked with Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

    The indictment followed a half-year probe after an attack on a UN peacekeeping convoy near the town of Al-Aqbiya in Lebanon’s south, a stronghold of Hezbollah. The shooting resulted in the death of Private Seán Rooney of Newtown Cunningham, Ireland, and seriously wounded Private Shane Kearney. The wounded peacekeeper was medically evacuated to Ireland.

    Two other Irish soldiers sustained light injuries.

    The indictment includes evidence from bystanders’ testimonies, as well as audio recordings and video footage from surveillance cameras, the Lebanese official said. In some of the recordings of the confrontation, the gunmen reportedly could be heard telling the peacekeepers that they are from Hezbollah.

    Hezbollah has denied any role in the killing, and a spokesperson for the group declined to comment on the indictments on Thursday. One of five indicted, Mohamad Ayyad, is currently in custody of Lebanese authorities. The four others facing charges – Ali Khalifeh, Ali Salman, Hussein Salman, and Mustafa Salman – are at large.

    Initial reports said angry residents confronted the peacekeepers, but the indictment concludes that the shooting was a targetted attack.

    Lebanese soldiers stand behind a damaged vehicle after a United Nations peacekeepers convoy came under fire in the Al-Aqbiya village, south Lebanon. PHOTO: AP
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