A new documentary about the quest to bring justice to the two Irish UN soldiers murdered in Lebanon in 1980 includes footage of the man accused, Mahmoud Bazzi, taking credit for the killings on Lebanese TV.
Thomas Barrett and Derek Smallhorne, two young Irish soldiers stationed with the UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon were shot dead on April 18, 1980 after a supply convoy they were leading into contested territory was ambushed. A third Irish soldier, John O’Mahony, was shot multiple times but survived.
Mahmoud Bazzi, the man O’Mahony and other members of the convoy say was the lead captor that day, was arrested last month at his home in Dearborn, Michigan on an immigration violation – entering the US 21 years ago on a stolen passport.
His deportation hearings have begun, but it remains unclear whether he will also be tried for war crimes. O’Mahony and Steve Hindy, a former AP journalist present on the day of the ambush, recently confirmed that they have been asked to testify.
The Detroit Free Press has released a mini-documentary about the case, titled “Is Dearborn Ice Cream Man a War Criminal?”
In addition to interviews with O’Mahony, the Barrett family, Irish UN veterans, Steve Hindy, and Bazzi himself just a short time before his arrest, the documentary includes footage of Bazzi on Lebanese, taking credit for the killings. The footage has been mentioned in past coverage of the case, but this is the first time it has emerged since the 1980s.
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