A military court in Lebanon is reported to have charged five members of the Hezbollah militia with the killing of Irish peacekeeper Private Seán Rooney from Donegal.
Pte Rooney (23), from Newtowncunningham, was killed in the attack near the village of al-Aqbiya, in southern Lebanon, on 14 December.
The AFP news agency reports that a 30-page indictment accuses the men of “voluntary homicide”.
It says they have all been referred to the military court for trial.
The indictment says five people “formed a criminal gang and implemented a criminal project” and underlines that the actions are punishable by death under the Lebanese penal code.
Hezbollah, which has both a political and military wing, handed a man over to Lebanese authorities 10 days after Private Rooney was killed.
According to the indictment some of the accused “were heard saying ‘we are from Hezbollah,’ and calling each other via walkie-talkies”.
The United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon or UNIFIL, comprises of some 10,000 peacekeepers.
It has been deployed since 1978 to act as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel, which technically remain in a state of war.
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