Irish Soldier, Sean Rooney's killing: Trial delayed amid medical excuse controversy

The military court in Lebanon failed to hold a public trial for Mohammad Ayyad, accused of participating with others in "the killing Irish soldier Sean Rooney (23 years old) and attempting to kill three of his colleagues during their patrol in the Al-Aqbieh area (southern Lebanon) on the night of December 14, 2022, by firing on them with war weapons." 

This article was originally published in and translated from the Arab outlet of Asharq Al-Awsat.

This led to its postponement to June 7 of the next year. The trial was postponed following the attendance of Ayyad's defense lawyer, Mohammed Hamoud, who presented a medical report stating that his client "is in the hospital receiving treatment," and the court accepted the medical excuse.

It is worth noting that the session coincided with the first anniversary of the killing of soldier Sean Rooney, commemorated by the Irish government and UNIFIL forces in southern Lebanon.

The indefinite postponement raised dissatisfaction on the Irish side, which fears procrastination and delays in the trial proceedings. 

At the same time, a prominent source in the military court told Asharq Al-Awsat that "there is no need to doubt the procedures followed, and Brigadier General Khalil Jaber, the head of the military court, applies the legal principles he adopts in all cases." 

He explained that "the medical report presented by Ayyad's defense lawyer, Mohammed Hamoud, is accurate, and the postponement of the session for a few months is due to the 'density' of the number of lawsuits, and this does not mean procrastination or evasion in this case at all."

In mid-November, the military court, presided over by Brigadier General Khalil Jaber, agreed to release Ayyad, the only detainee in the case, on bail of one billion Lebanese lira (13,500 US dollars), justifying its decision for health reasons as he suffers from a serious illness.

The military judiciary accuses the released detainee, Mohammad Ayyad, and the other defendants "who are out of sight," Ali Khalifeh, Ali Salman, Hussein Salman, and Mustafa Salman, of killing the Irish soldier and attempting to kill his comrades from the Irish battalion working within UNIFIL, sabotaging the military vehicle. 

Another group of unidentified individuals attacked a second military vehicle belonging to the Irish battalion, seized it, and terrorized its members by firing weapons over their heads and filming them.

This trial is of great interest to the Irish government, which regularly follows it closely through its ambassador, and to the international emergency forces operating in southern Lebanon. 

A source familiar with the case's developments pointed out that "the Irish side fears procrastination in this case, especially since the military court is trying only one person who was detained and released, without examining the real reasons for this decision." 

The source explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that "the court justified the decision to release the accused Ayyad for health reasons, but UNIFIL and the Irish side were not informed of the truth of this matter." 

The source asked, "Does it make sense that there are six other people who are being pursued in absentia, and the Lebanese state has so far failed to arrest any of them?" 

He recalled that "the Republic of Ireland, government, people, and opposition, is almost the only European country that sympathized with the Palestinian cause and publicly and decisively rejected the massacres committed by Israel in Gaza."

The Irish closely follow this file and the interest surrounding the accused, Ayyad. 

The source pointed out that "the Irish side recorded its observations on the previous session in which Ayyad was interrogated, in the presence of about 20 lawyers affiliated with Hezbollah and its allies, which means that the detainee enjoys party support." 

Emphasizing that "the diplomatic and legal team representing the Irish state and UNIFIL does not object to considering the health situation of the accused if he is suffering from a serious illness, but what surprises it is that the representatives of these entities have not been briefed on the health file of the accused Ayyad, justifying his release."