A Lebanese man has been found guilty of murdering two Irish peacekeepers and the attempted murder of a Kerryman 40 years ago.
76-year-old Mahmoud Bazzi was found guilty of murdering Private Thomas Barrett and Private Derek Smallhorne on the 18th April, 1980 in Lebanon.
He also attempted to murder Private John O’Mahony from Scartaglin.
Following a UN investigation, Mahmoud Bazzi was found in 2015 in the US.
He was later deported to Lebanon over immigration offences, where he was put on trial for the two peacekeepers’ murder and attempted murder of John O’Mahony.
The Irish Times reports that, on Monday night, a Lebanese court convicted Mr Bazzi of the double murder and attempted murder.
Mr Bazzi committed the murders while a member of the Israeli-sponsored South Lebanon Army (SLA) militia.
The Irish peacekeepers were travelling in convoy in April 1980, when they were stopped by the SLA.
Mr Bazzi kidnapped, tortured and killed Privates Smallhorne and Barrett, in revenge for the death of his brother in a firefight, and shot John O’Mahony.
He was sentenced to life in prison but, due to his age, the sentence was reduced to 15 years.
Additional reporting by RTE.
