FIVE people have been charged in connection with the killing of Irish soldier Seán Rooney in Lebanon.
It has been reported that five members of the Hezbollah militia are accused of "voluntary homicide".
From Newtowncunnngham in Co Donegal, Private Rooney (23) was killed while on duty in December last year.
His convoy came under attack on its way to Beirut, while he was on peace-keeping duties with the Irish defence forces.
The AFP news agency has reported that a 30-page indictment accuses the five Hezbollah members of "voluntary homicide" and have referred them to the military court for trial.
Mohammad Ayyad, the only man already in custody after Hezbollah handed him over to the army in December, is accused along with four other members of the group.
The indictment states that the five accused "formed a criminal gang and implemented a criminal project".
It states that they "were heard saying 'we are from Hezbollah,' and calling each other via walkie-talkies".
Under Lebanese law, such crimes are punishable by death.
Just last week, the United Nations (UN) said it is to award Private Rooney with a posthumous medal of honour.
Irish Ambassador to the UN Fergal Mythen will receive the Dag Hammarskjöld medal on behalf of the soldier's family at a ceremony at the UN headquarters in New York.
