Lebanese authorities know where man sentenced to death for killing Pte Seán Rooney is, Irish officials believe
Lebanese
authorities are aware of the location of a
Hizbullah
member who was on Monday convicted of the murder of Pte Seán Rooney in December 2022.
Mohammad Ayyad was sentenced to death in absentia by a Lebanese military court for killing the
Defence Forces
member. The sentence is likely to be later commuted to a prison term.
Ayyad was accused of firing his weapon into Pte Rooney's jeep during an attack in the village of Al-Aqbiya. Six other accused received lesser sentences while one was acquitted.
Pte Rooney and three other Irish peacekeepers, who were serving with the
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil)
mission in south Lebanon, were driving to Beruit Airport when their vehicle came under attack.
READ MORE
Trooper Shane Kearney was seriously injured in the incident while two other Irish soldiers suffered more minor injuries.
Ayyad was produced to the court by Hizbullah in 2023 and charged under Article 549 of the Lebanese Penal Code, which states the murder of a public official carrying out official duties shall be punishable by death.
He was later released on bail to receive medical treatment after his lawyers told the court he was seriously ill.
Before his sentencing on Monday, documents were handed into court detailing the current location of Ayyad, sources said. The documents stated he was seriously ill in hospital.
Another man present during the attack, Ali Suleiman, was sentenced to three months in prison and a fine of 100 million Lebanese pounds (€960).
A third accused, Ali Khalifa, was jailed for one month and given a similar fine while two others, Hussein Suleiman, Mustafa Suleiman, and Ali Hakim fined 200 million Lebanese pounds (€1,920) each.
A seventh accused, Mohammed Mazhar, was found not guilty.
Before Monday, none of the accused aside from Ayyad had ever appeared in court. However, all six others turned up for the verdict and sentencing.
A verdict had not been expected in the case until mid-September. The early conclusion of the case is seen by Irish officials as an attempt by the Lebanese authorities to draw a line under the incident before a crucial vote to renew Unifil's peacekeeping mandate, which ends on August 31st.
The Lebanese government wants the mandate renewed. However,
Israel
has been lobbying for Unifil to be wound up or to have its mandate significantly curtailed.
The value Lebanon places on the peacekeeping mission was emphasised by the chief military judge during Monday's hearing.
'Hearts beat for the continued presence of the peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, given the humanitarian, social, and even cultural work they are doing,' Brig Gen Wassim Fayyad said.
The willingness of the court to convict the accused also underlines the reduction in Hizbullah's power and influence since Pte Rooney's murder, officials said.
The militant group, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by the European Union, was left badly weakened following Israel's invasion of Lebanon last October.
Monday's three-hour hearing was overseen by Brig Gen Fayyad, who was appointed earlier this year by Lebanon's new president, Joseph Aoun, a former army chief who has pledged to reform the Lebanese judiciary.
The proceedings in Beirut were attended by: Nuala O'Brien, the Irish Ambassador to Egypt with responsibility for Lebanon; Bernie Maguire, an assistant secretary at the Department of Defence; Paul McCloskey, the husband of Pte Rooney's mother Natasha Rooney-McCloskey; Joe Karam, a Lebanese lawyer appointed to represent the Irish Government during the proceedings; and an observer from Unifil.
During the proceedings, the court reviewed video and photographic evidence and heard testimony from the defendants.
The defendants told the court that they had been watching a World Cup football match between France and Morocco in Al-Aqbiya, a town in south Lebanon, on December 14th, 2022, when a Unifil vehicle drove by crowds gathered there.
The Lebanese men said Unifil did not typically undertake patrols in this area. They said the vehicle did not have a UN flag on it and was not accompanied by a Lebanese military patrol. The defendants told the court that they believed it may have been part of an undercover Israeli operation.
The lawyer for the defendants told the military court there was no premeditated plan to kill a UN soldier, in particular a soldier from Ireland. The defendants said they had received no instructions from Hizbullah, or any other group, to kill a UN peacekeeper.
The military court's decision is open to appeal by the defendants and the military prosecutor, Fadi Akiki, who was represented at the hearing on Monday by his deputy Roland Chartouni.
If there is no appeal or once such an appeal concludes, civil proceedings can be instigated by Pte Rooney's family against the defendants.
Evidence from the military court proceedings would then be presented in Lebanon's civil courts, according to Lebanese lawyers familiar with the system.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Sarah Harte: Dehumanising women starts at random insults and ends in murder
Last week felt like another dark week for Irish women. On Saturday, driving to Cork, I listened to comedian Alison Spittle on the Brendan O'Connor Show. I once approached her in the bathrooms of the Irish Film Institute to tell her how much I enjoyed her work. She was very polite but looked vaguely startled. I now have context for why. During the interview, Spittle detailed her weight struggles, but more particularly, how countless times people have accosted her to tell her that she was "a fat bitch". In one incident, a woman insulted her, but mainly it seemed to be men who let her know she was unattractive to them and therefore worthless as a woman in their eyes. She has been insulted on public transport and had chewing gum thrown in her hair, which is technically an assault. While asserting she didn't care, she broke down in tears, and O'Connor gently probed her on how it seemed she did care. She admitted she did. It was painful to contemplate the sustained misogyny she has endured as she tries to live her life. In a radio interview, Alison Spittle detailed her weight struggles, but more particularly, how countless times people have accosted her to tell her that she was 'a fat bitch'. Picture: Karla Gowlett Of course, the kind of social system that creates the perfect environment for men to harass Alison Spittle is precisely the same system that allows domestic and sexual violence to thrive — one which is based on misogyny, entitlement, domination, and devaluation of women and girls. Let's stick with last week. On Monday, 53-year-old Stephen Mooney from Kilbarrack Road was sentenced to life for the murder of his wife Anna Mooney, 43, in June 2023, when he stabbed her to death at their home with a kitchen knife. Mooney initially pleaded not guilty to killing Anna, but entered a guilty plea when he changed his plea after gardaí found footage of the murder on a mobile phone he had set up to spy on her. He believed she was having an affair. On Wednesday, a domestic violence colleague messaged me to alert me to the triple shooting of Vanessa Whyte, a vet originally from Co Clare, her son James, 14, and daughter Sara, 13, in Maguiresbridge, Co Fermanagh. Ian Rutledge, Vanessa's husband and the father of her two children, the only suspect in the murder investigation, died on Monday as a result of self-inflicted gun wounds. A prayer service was held over the weekend for Ms Whyte and her children in Barefield, Ennis. Parish priest Fr Tom Fitzpatrick said: "We cannot rationalise what should never have taken place." At another vigil held at the weekend, Fr Brian Darcy, who knew the family in Fermanagh, calling for better mental health services, said: 'There's nothing we can say that can make sense of something as senseless as this.' I understand that being a priest is ultra challenging in these situations. However, this triple murder will have to be 'rationalised' to see what lessons can be learned to identify red flags which might help in preventing other similar murders. It's part of our cultural storytelling that killers in domestic homicides snap and lose control. International experts unanimously agree they do not result from a spontaneous burst of anger or a loss of control on the part of the perpetrator, as is commonly believed. It comes from a core belief in male power and control over women. It is proving extremely difficult to reverse this belief, not least because the media too often unconsciously reinforce this narrative. It has already been reported Ian Rutledge was depressed and losing his sight. It was similar in the Alan Hawe case. There was an attempt to minimise what he did to his wife, Clodagh, and three children, who were murdered in cold blood. Or at least to present reasons as to why he was having a hard time and was essentially a good egg who snapped. We persist in reaching for an explanation like the poor fella hadn't been himself or was under terrible pressure. This prevents grappling with the hard fact that underpinning these murders is a belief that didn't come from nowhere, that women are men's property. Because here's the thing — if you are depressed and choose to take your own life, while it is tragic, what gives you the right to take your wife and children with you? On Thursday, a former Irish soldier, Keith Byrne, 34, was jailed for 15 years for strangling his girlfriend of eight months, Kirsty Ward, 36, to death at a Spanish hotel in July 2023 with a hair straightening cord. Ms. Ward had told him she was leaving him. Kirsty Ward was killed in Spain by her boyfriend. Bryne was also handed a restraining order preventing him from contacting Kirsty's teenage son, mum, or siblings, or going within 1,000m of them for 25 years. Byrne claimed during his trial that Kirsty Ward took her own life. Javier Goimil, a Spanish public prosecutor and domestic violence specialist who had sought a 20-year sentence, refuted this claim. In his powerful closing speech to the jury, he said Byrne had decided: 'You're mine or you're nobody's... You, woman, are no one to say you're going to detach yourself from me the man and have your own independent life.' We know men often kill women because they are losing control over the victim. Perpetrators can't handle loss of control, in part because, personality type aside, societally we have taught men from the cradle that control over a woman is their right. Byrne also released a video from his prison cell, claiming his innocence and referring to Kirsty Ward as 'the girl'. He took her life, then he tried to take her identity by referring to a 36-year-old mother, Kirsty, of a 14-year-old son, Evan (when she died), the daughter of Jackie and John, as 'the girl'. An irrelevant nothing. Misogyny and violence take place along a continuum of behaviour ranging from throwing gum and insults on a train to stalking, strangling, or stabbing a woman to death. I was struck by an interview given by Amy Hunt to the BBC last month, in which she spoke about the epidemic of misogyny in society. Court artist drawing of Kyle Clifford, who was convicted of killing Carol Hunt, 61, the wife of John Hunt, and two of their daughters, Hannah, 28, and Louise, 25. Last year, her mother and two sisters, the wife and daughters of BBC racing commentator John Hunt, were murdered in their own home by her youngest sister's ex-boyfriend, Kyle Clifford, 26, two weeks after she ended the relationship. Amy pointed out how our society 'allows misogyny to fester', how it 'emboldens misogyny'. The Irish women whose faces we saw in the news cycle last week, and Amy's mother, Carol, 61, and sisters, Hannah, 28, and Louise, 25, are not just statistics. As Amy pointed out, these murdered women are flesh and blood people who were murdered in the prime of life by men who unilaterally decided their time was up. The statistics, and not just in Ireland, are massively skewed in terms of men killing their female partners and not the other way around. It feels like howling into the void to repeat the statistics for domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence are genuinely terrifying. I can't help wondering if we would be so slow to act if women were routinely harassing men in the public space, raping them, and murdering them in their own homes? Amy Hunt, who gave a brilliant interview, got to the heart of the matter. 'We've got a serious obligation as a society to change men's behaviour because this is a man's issue — it's not a woman's issue.' I'll leave the last word to Amy because I couldn't put it better. 'It's a question of what sort of world we are comfortable living in.' Read More Justice minister promises domestic violence register following report on record abuse complaints
Sunday World
8 hours ago
- Sunday World
Inside the oldest cold case murder solved by UK police
Enquiries led police to Cork, but ultimately their killer was a lot closer to home The man they were there to arrest, 92-year-old Ryland Headley, was not expecting them. It had been 57 years since he raped and murdered an elderly woman in her home, and he thought he'd gotten away with. As the police officers knocked on the white front door, they heard stirring inside. 'What do you want?' the frail pensioner asked. 'Could you open the door, please? We'd like to speak with you,' she told him. 'No, no, no, you can't come in, what do you want to come in for?' the voice replied. 'It's a bit sensitive, so we'd like to come inside and speak to you properly,' she told him. Mrs Dunne's front window was found open by neighbours on the morning of June 28 1967 (Avon and Somerset Police/PA) Further refusing, Headley tried to convince them to leave, telling cops he was a sick old man. But Naomi and Jo weren't taking no for an answer. After opening the door to his early morning visitors, he eventually invited them in. As he stood in his cluttered kitchen, with sleep in his eyes and still wearing his pajamas, the confused, elderly man was arrested for what would become the oldest murder case in British history to be solved. 'I'm arresting you on suspicion of the rape and murder of Louisa Dunne, which happened in Bristol in June 1967,' Detective Gane told him. 'The reason I'm arresting you is because police have investigative material that indicates that you're responsible.' The Victim Louisa Dunne nee Jarrett, was born in Barton Regis, Gloucestershire in 1892. She was an active member of the Labour Party, alongside her husband Edward 'Teddy' Parker. The couple were prominent members of their community and enjoyed busy social lives as part of their political activism. After Teddy's death in 1945, the circle of friends Louisa had built around her faded, and she ultimately became estranged from her two daughters, Iris and Edna. Headley murdered Louisa Dunne in 1967 Louisa's life became lonelier than it had ever been, and she fell into alcohol addiction. But she wasn't completely alone.. Louisa forged close friendships with her neighbours, and eventually she remarried Irish widower John H. Dunne nine years before his death in 1961. She led a quiet life, and among her few treasured possessions were her books and the deeds to her home. News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday, July 29 On the evening of 27th June 1967, Louisa visited her best friend of 30 years, Alice Clarke. Once a week, Louisa would drop in on Alice, who was immobile due to illness, to check in on her. That evening, she left to walk the short distance home, telling Alice she was heading to bed. The following day, another neighbour, Violet Fortune, noticed Louisa didn't collect the newspaper she had left for her on the garden wall, a regular part of her morning routine. Her neighbours also noticed that despite being security-conscious, her downstairs sitting room window was wide open, and she had not been seen that day. Concerned for her well-being, one young neighbour went into her house to check on her, only to be met with a grisly scene. The 74-year-old was lying dead on her living room floor. She was fully dressed but for her underwear which was found around her ankles. A scarf and tights were tied around her neck, and there was blood coming from her ear. Louisa Dunne was killed in 1967 (Avon and Somerset Police/PA) Numerous neighbours had heard muffled screams the night prior, and later they realised the cries for help must have been from Louisa. The police were called, and a murder investigation was launched. Headed up by Detective Chief Superintendent Reginald Hicks, the police quickly established that the grandmother had been raped and her home robbed. Her cause of death was recorded as asphyxia due to strangulation and pressure on the mouth. As police sealed off the home, they methodically collected evidence from the scene, including a palm print on an upstairs bedroom window In the immediate aftermath, 19,000 men and boys aged between 15 and 60 within the Easton area were fingerprinted as part of the investigation, but no matches were found. With more than 8,000 people interviewed, the investigation even widened to Ireland. Palm prints found at the property in Britannia Road (Avon and Somerset Police/PA) Gardai assisted police with their enquiries as they searched Cork for a 20-year-old Army Absentee who lived near Mrs Dunne, but fled about a fortnight after her death. 'We want to know where the man was on the day of the murder and why he left suddenly,' Reginald Hicks told the Bristol Evening Post in August 1967. 'It is essential that everyone who acted in this way should be eliminated, if possible, from our inquiries.' But just like every other lead in the case, the enquiry went nowhere, and the case eventually went cold. Reinvestigation In 2023, the murder was reopened for a third time by the Major Crimes Review team at Avon & Somerset Police. It was initially examined in 2009 and again in 2014, but it wasn't until the head of the cold case unit, Detective Inspector Dave Marchant, began reviewing the case with fresh eyes that they got the breakthrough they were waiting for. Titled 'Operation Beatle', it was one of the force's 30 unsolved murder cases, and had 18 boxes of evidence stored away at a high-security warehouse in the hopes of one day solving the murder. Detectives sorted through the exhibits in their archives, searching for an intimate swab that was collected during Louisa's autopsy, but it wasn't found. DNA evidence linking the murder of Mrs Dunne to Ryland Headley was recovered from her blue skirt (Avon and Somerset Police/PA) Instead, investigators singled out the skirt Louisa was wearing at the time of her murder, which had never been tested for DNA. When scientists examined the blue calf-length a-line skirt, they uncovered a semen stain which gave them the complete DNA profile of an unknown male, and with it, a break in the case they could have only hoped for. But it would take some time before they would be able to put a name to their suspect, that's even if their DNA was already in the National DNA database. Hoping that their perp had previously had their genetic information entered into the system during another police investigation, they sent off the DNA and waited for a hit. With luck on their side, they got it. A man who had his DNA taken by police in 2012 as part of an investigation into an unrelated crime was found to be a 'billion to one' match. It was Ryland Headley. But they didn't have a case just yet. The Killer Police began investigating their suspect, and found that at the time of the murder, the then 34-year-old was living on Picton Street, only 2.7 km from Louisa Dunne's home. A railway worker originally from Jamaica, Ryland Headley emigrated to the UK in 1952, and married in 1958. An old family friend described the father-of-three as someone that was so quiet he was 'barely noticed'. Picton Street was located just outside the radius in which police collected the prints of 19,000 men and boys, meaning Headley narrowly avoided detection. It wasn't the first time he dodged handing over his prints to the police, either. During another unrelated incident, he was asked to give his prints to police, and while he gave fingerprints, he told police his wrist was 'too sore' due to arthritis to give them a palm print. Shortly after the murder, Headley uprooted his family and moved to Ipswich, where he went on to commit more heinous crimes. Re-Arrest An hour after his arrest in November 2024, Headley was booked into police custody. During processing, he was asked if he had ever been arrested before. Headley thought for a moment before nodding his head. Ryland Headley in custody last year (Avon and Somerset Police/PA) 10 years after the murder of Louisa Dunne, police were on the hunt for a sex attacker targeting elderly women. He was dubbed the 'Ipswich Rapist', and the public were warned to lock their doors amid fears the predator could kill if he wasn't stopped. Little did they know, he had already done so. Two women, in their 70s and 80s, both widowed and living alone, were raped in their homes in October 1977 by an intruder who broke in during the night and threatened to kill them. Fingerprints were left at both scenes, and 5,000 men had their prints taken as part of the inquiry. This time, one of those men was Ryland Headley, and he was arrested and tried for rape. Following a trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Citing that the penalty was 'excessive' for a man of previous good character and reputation with no convictions, his legal team appealed the sentence. Headley was interviewed in November last year (Avon and Somerset Police/PA) His barrister claimed that the rapes were impulsive and committed during a time of 'unusual circumstances' in his marriage, blaming his sexual frustration on being unhappily wed to an 'ambitious and demanding' wife. The court agreed and found he was unlikely to reoffend, so in 1979 his sentence was reduced to seven years, of which he served two. Ryland Headley left prison in the early 1980s, and remained a free man for more than forty years. Evidence & The Trial Now that he was back in police custody, the prosecution prepared for trial. Police were finally able to take his prints, and he was matched to the palm print left on the back bedroom window at Louisa Dunne's home. Despite this, and all the other evidence they presented to him during an interview, Headley repeatedly replied 'no comment', much to the frustration of detectives. Murderer and rapist Ryland Headley The pensioner denied knowing Louisa, being at the scene, or committing the murder. He coldly refused to give any indication as to why he did what he did. While the defense fought for the evidence of his previous rape convictions to be omitted from the proceedings, the prosecution fought for their inclusion as the victims were so similar to Louisa Dunne. All three were elderly women who lived at home alone, all three were raped, and while Louisa Dunne was killed, the other two were threatened with murder by their attacker. The judge eventually ruled that the evidence could be heard, and the two-week trial began at Bristol Crown Court on June 16th 2025. The court heard further evidence about a series of burglaries Headley committed between 1973 and 1978. Ryland Headley has been told he will die in prison (Elizabeth Cook/PA) After 3 days of deliberations, by a majority verdict of 10-2, the jury found Ryland Headley guilty, and on July 1st 2025, he was sentenced to life behind bars, with a minimum term of 20 years. At sentencing, Mr. Justice Sweeting branded the murder a 'pitiless and cruel act by a depraved man.' But while Headley is now behind bars, the case doesn't end for the police; in fact, they've been left with more questions than answers. Headley raped and murdered Louisa Dunne in 1967, before going on to rape two women ten years later - but is that all he ever did? Police in Suffolk and Norfolk don't think so, and now they wonder if he could be responsible for more unsolved murders. At 92 years old, Ryland Headley will die in prison, that's for sure. But for police, the race is on to try and find out what else he may have done, to get justice for the victims, before his time runs out.
Irish Examiner
9 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
The racist attack on an Indian man in Tallaght recently was not a once-off. Ireland must act
When I first watched the now-removed social media video of a man bloodied and stripped in a Dublin street, I felt my stomach turn. The images were violent, yes, but the silence of the onlookers hit harder. Helpless and humiliated, the victim of the ruthless actions of a few anti-social elements stood surrounded, not by support, but by scrutiny. No one intervened until much later. And somehow, in the noise that followed, the narrative became not about the victim, but about invented claims against him. What happened in Tallaght on the evening of July 19 wasn't just a senseless brutality. It was the culmination of misinformation, racial profiling and a deeper discomfort with confronting racism when it shows up at our doorsteps. As someone from India now living in Dublin, I find this incident both frightening and painfully familiar. Within hours of the man's video going viral, false rumours about him had spread like wildfire on social media. The original lie that he had exposed himself to children was debunked by the Gardaí. Yet, the damage was done. People believed the falsehood because it was easy to do so. In our digitally connected world, fabricated information often travels faster and farther than facts. This is what happens when misinformation and disinformation are taken at face value. It is deeply unfortunate that something like this even happened in the first place. However, this one incident has triggered broader debates and much-needed conversations. It has nudged people to think more actively about racial violence and false narratives that perpetuate such violence. Protesters marching to the Dáil to protest against the Indian man's brutal assault in Tallaght. Photo: Leah Farrell/© In the days since, I've heard countless stories from others in the Indian and wider migrant community. Many recounted experiences of racial slurs, glares, harassment and in some cases, assault, which go unreported or are not investigated swiftly. The common thread in most of these stories? The perpetrators were often teenagers. This incident has heightened my safety concerns. I still believe in Ireland's potential as a welcoming place. I've been embraced by Irish friends, neighbours and colleagues who have shown immense warmth. But I now walk a little faster past certain groups. I look over my shoulder more than I used to. And I find myself worrying more for my friends and for those who are yet to arrive here. What has brought some solace during this painful time is the powerful mobilisation of the Indian community and the support from other migrant groups as well. Last week, a delegation of the Indian community met with Ambassador Akhilesh Mishra at the Embassy of India in Ireland to present their concerns. They were answered with compassion and clarity which is the need of the hour. It was confirmed that the matter has been reported to higher authorities in India and Ireland. Margaret Byrne from Tallaght with her dog Pablo at an anti-racism protest organised by the Community group Dublin South-West Together (DSWT) in Tallaght at the weekend. Photo: Leah Farrell/© Taking into account the fact that many Indian students come to Ireland every year, a safety advisory for such incoming students will soon be issued. These initial steps are welcome, but what is needed is strong safeguards and speedy investigations. Community leader Raghav Dixit, who helped convene the delegation, echoed what many of us have been feeling. 'The first and foremost thing about the speedy investigation. Usually in such sensitive cases, the Garda Commissioner or Superintendent makes a public statement. Nobody has made that statement so far.' All of us appreciate the Gardaí's formal acknowledgement of the incident as racially motivated but it has come far too late. There are also concerns about Ireland's juvenile justice system, where there is a need to reform how serious offences committed by minors are handled. Let me be clear, this is not an Indian versus Irish issue. This is something that concerns all of us. This is about accountability, safety and human dignity. Members of the migrant community in Ireland marching to the Dáil to protest against the Indian man's brutal assault in Tallaght. In the days since, I've heard countless stories from others in the Indian and wider migrant community of racial slurs, glares, harassment and in some cases, assault, which go unreported or are not investigated swiftly. Photo: Leah Farrell/© Migrants don't just come to Ireland seeking jobs or education; they come here to build lives. Many South Asians arrive on critical skills visas, filling essential roles in healthcare, IT and education. We contribute, we belong, and we deserve protection. What we do not deserve is for our pain to be politicised or dismissed. The rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric online only fuels division and endangers real people. Thankfully, we have also seen compassion. From people like Jennifer Murray who stepped up to help the victim and gave out a clear message on what humanity truly means and from everybody who has come out in our support. Now we must look further and beyond. The Gardaí must be resourced adequately. Investigations must be swift and transparent. Hate crime laws must be enforced decisively, not after weeks of public pressure. And we must build solidarity, not walls, between communities. I still want to live here. I still feel at home, like many from India who have become naturalised citizens of Ireland and also represent us in the government. But silence is not an option anymore. Hate needs to be called out. If Ireland is to truly be the country it strives to be, diverse, kind, just, then what happened in Tallaght must be the beginning of a reckoning, not just another news cycle. I remember what several migrant communities shouted at a recent march in Dublin in condemnation of this incident: 'This is not the Ireland we came to, this is not what Ireland represents.' Let's make sure that remains true. Read More Colin Sheridan: Institutional racism wears a necktie
