Lebanon releases man suspected of killing Irish UN peacekeeper on bail

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB AND ABBY SEWELL
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Security and judicial officials say Lebanon’s military tribunal has released a man accused of killing an Irish United Nations peacekeeper almost a year ago on bail. Lebanon’s military tribunal in June charged Mohamad Ayyad and four others with the killing of Pvt. Seán Rooney, 24, of Ireland, following a half-year probe. Rooney was killed on Dec. 14, 2022. Two Lebanese officials confirmed Wednesday that Ayyad was released on bail, which one of them said was in an amount of 1.2 billion Lebanese pounds, or approximately $13,377, due to unspecified health concerns. Both spoke anonymously in line with regulations.