TD concerned over delay of trial into killing of Private Seán Rooney
A hearing into the killing of 23-year-old soldier Private Seán Rooney is due to resume in Beirut this Wednesday.
A TD has raised concerns that the family of slain soldier Private Seán Rooney may not get justice.
A hearing into the killing of the 23-year-old in Lebanon in December is due to resume in Beirut this Wednesday, August 30.
Last month, a hearing was adjourned with four of the five men alleged to have been involved in the fatal attack still at large.
Mohammad Ayyad is the sole person in custody after he was handed over by Hezbollah, a militant group that dominates the area around Al-Aqbiya. The five men could face the death penalty, although the other four, who have been named as Ali Khalifeh, Ali Salman, Hussein Salman, and Mustafa Salman, were not in custody when the hearing opened.
Louth-based Sinn Féin TD Ruairí Ó Murchú said he is ‘deeply worried’ at the postponement of the case.
“While I accept that the matter is before the Lebanese judicial system and this limits Government commentary, promises have been made by the Tanaiste Micheal Martin in relation to not only monitoring developments but ensuring that no stone is left unturned in order that those responsible are brought to justice,” Deputy Ó Murchú said.
“We also need to see the outworkings of the UNIFIL inquiry and the investigation of the Garda Siochana.
“It is vital that the Defence Forces approach this tragedy from a learning point of view and introduce any necessary improvements in relation to protocols, procedures and tactics.
The funeral of Private Seán Rooney in Newtowncunningham. (North West Newspix)
The defendants were alleged to have been in contact via walkie-talkies and were allegedly overheard saying: ‘We are from Hezbollah’.
They have been indicted on voluntary homicide and criminal conspiracy, charges which carry the death penalty under the penal code in the country.
The indictment says that the quintet ‘formed a criminal gang and implemented a criminal project’. The case has been compiled by Judge Fadi Sawwan.
Private Rooney, a Dundalk native who had lived in Newtowncunningham for the past decade, was shot dead and his colleague Trooper Shane Kearney seriously wounded in the attack.
Private Rooney became the 48th Irish soldier to die while on a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. He was due to wed his fiancé Holly McConnellogue in August.
The Minister for Defence, Micheál Martin, disclosed in a written reply to a Dail question that the proceedings were postponed until this week ‘to allow time for the Lebanese authorities to issue the appropriate notification’ in respect of the defendants who did not present at the initial hearing.
Minister Martin said: “Through the Embassy in Cairo and the Consulate in Beirut, the Irish Government has maintained close diplomatic contact with the Lebanese authorities in relation to the progress of the criminal investigation which is one of a number of investigations that is being carried out.
“I have consistently expressed my determination that all of the facts and circumstances of the incident are fully established and that no stone is left unturned to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.”