The military judiciary has issued its ruling regarding the incident in Al-Aqbiya, which resulted in the death of soldier Sean Rooney from the Irish contingent operating under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The decision has officially charged five members of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, one of whom is detained, with intentional murder in the attack on the Irish patrol. This assault led to the death of the Irish soldier.
Lebanese judiciary had already indicted seven individuals, including the five accused, back in January; however, this new charge specifically identifies them as members of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, according to a judicial source cited by Reuters on Thursday. According to the judicial source, the military court judge has charged the five individuals with committing a criminal act that resulted in Rooney's death and the attempted murder of three other soldiers. One of the accused is currently detained, while the other four remain at large.
Military investigator Fadi Sawwan has charged the detained Mohammad Ayad and four others, who are currently fugitives—Ali Khalifa, Ali Salman, Hussein Salman, and Mustafa Salman—with forming a gang of wrongdoers and executing a single criminal plan. He has issued search and arrest orders to identify the remaining individuals involved in the incident and bring them to justice.
The indictment issued by military investigator Fadi Sawwan confirmed that the actions of both detained Mohammad Ayad and the four fugitives fall under the fifth paragraph of Article 549 of the Lebanese Penal Code, which states that anyone who commits a crime against a public official while performing their duty, in connection with it, or as a result of it is punishable by death.
Judge Sawwan has referred all individuals to the military court for trial and provided a copy of the indictment to UNIFIL. He noted that "the agreement signed between the Lebanese government and the United Nations includes in its Article 45 that crimes committed against UNIFIL forces or any of its personnel will be subject to the same laws that apply to crimes against local forces, as well as Article 72 of the Arms Act."
On behalf of UNIFIL, spokesperson Andrea Tenenti stated, "This is an important step towards justice and we continue to urge accountability for all perpetrators," emphasizing the need for holding all involved accountable. He added that "attacks on the men and women serving the cause of peace are serious crimes that cannot be tolerated. We look forward to achieving justice for soldier Rooney, his injured colleagues, and their families."
Soldier Sean Rooney (23 years old) was killed on December 15, 2022, in the first lethal attack on UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon since 2015.
