BEIRUT – The Lebanese army has detained a suspect in the assassination of a UN peacekeeper from Ireland earlier this month when his convoy was shot at in southern Lebanon, officials said Tuesday.
The incident occurred near the southern town of Al-Aqbiya, which is a stronghold for the Lebanese militant Hezbollah party, which has denied any involvement in the assassination.
Hezbollah spokeswoman Rana Sahili stated on Friday that the suspect was apprehended “in coordination with Hezbollah” and was not a member of the militant group.
Two Lebanese security officials confirmed the arrest, speaking on the condition of anonymity in accordance with procedures, and stated that the investigation into the murder is ongoing. They did not name or disclose any information on the suspect.
According to one of the security officials, the military initially detained three people in connection with the incident but later released two who were deemed not to have been engaged in the killing.
Andrea Tenenti, spokesman for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), said the forces have yet to receive “formal information” about any arrests.
Pvt. Seán Rooney, 24, of Newtowncunningham, and several other Irish troops were on their way from their post in the south to Beirut airport on the fateful night. Two UN vehicles appear to have taken a detour through Al-Aqbiya, which is not outside the peacekeepers’ mandate.
According to previous reports, a number of enraged neighbors surrounded the soldiers and opened fire on their cars, alleging they were outside their jurisdiction. Residents of southern Lebanon are frequently confronted by UNIFIL forces.
However, one of the two security officers stated the suspect was part of a group that followed the UN convoy from Sarafand, approximately 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) away, implying a planned attack.
The contradicting reports of the incident could not be reconciled right away.
Rooney was laid to rest in Ireland last week, while another Irish peacekeeper, 22-year-old Pvt. Shane Kearney, was medically evacuated from Lebanon to Ireland.
UNIFIL was established to supervise the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon following an incursion in 1978.
Following the 2006 war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, the UN expanded its mandate, authorizing peacekeepers to deploy along the Israeli border to assist the Lebanese military in extending its authority into the country’s south for the first time in decades.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah supporters routinely accuse the UN mission of working with Israel, while Israel accuses the peacekeepers of turning a blind eye to Hezbollah’s military activity in southern Lebanon.
Source: Arab News
