UN veterans at the 50th anniversary of the first deployment of Irish peacekeepers to the Congo

Agents have arrested a man said by the Irish government to be a suspect in the abduction, torture and killing of two United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon 34 years ago.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Mahmoud Bazzi at his home in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan.

Spokeswoman Gillian Christensen said Bazzi was held for "immigration violations", adding that the government "is committed to rooting out alleged human rights violators who seek a safe haven in the United States".

Bazzi has denied killing Irish peacekeepers Derek Smallhorne and Thomas Barrett, telling the Detroit Free Press he once falsely confessed because he feared a Lebanese militia would kill him unless he lied.

Irish defence secretary Simon Coveney welcomed Bazzi's arrest and said his government had continually pursued the case.

"I hope this is the start of a process to bring to justice the alleged perpetrator of what was a heinous crime, the torture and murder of two innocent Irish peacekeepers," Mr Coveney said.