Northern Ireland: three men arrested after an attack on a police officer
The attack was committed on Wednesday February 22 in Omagh, west of Northern Ireland.
AP - Liam McBurney
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
Police in Northern Ireland on Thursday arrested three people in the investigation into the attempted murder of a police officer on Wednesday night, in which suspicion falls on "violent dissident republicans", rekindling painful memories of the bloody past of the British province.
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Of the three men arrested on Thursday by the Northern Irish police, only the ages are known: 38, 45 and 47 years old.
All three were arrested about fifty kilometers from Omagh, in the west of the British province, where a police officer was seriously injured by two masked men who had fled in a dark car, found burnt on the outskirts of the city.
John Caldwell was then off duty.
He supervised a football training with children, in the presence of his son.
Seriously injured, the experienced policeman, a member of the police force for 26 years, "
is fighting for his life
", explained to the press Simon Byrne, of the Northern Irish police.
His condition is considered “
critical, but stable
”.
For the time being, the attack has not been claimed.
If the investigation does not discard any track, it focuses on a group of dissident republicans called the New IRA (new Irish Republican Army), hostile to British domination and desiring a united Ireland.
This group had admitted its responsibility in the murder of journalist Lyra McKee
, who was shot in the head four years ago, recalls our correspondent in London,
Marie Boëda
.
An investigation in which John Caldwell had participated.
The New IRA had apologized to the relatives of the young woman, explaining that she was alongside the police.
Rishi Sunak “
horrified
”
"
There is absolutely no tolerance for such attacks by the enemies of our peace
," the leaders of Northern Ireland's five political parties said in a joint statement.
They underline the "
anger
" of the local population, in a city marked by the deadliest attack in the Northern Irish conflict, perpetrated after the signing of the peace agreement a quarter of a century ago.
On August 15, 1998, a car bomb attack claimed by a dissident group of the IRA left 29 dead and 220 injured.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was "
horrified by the disgraceful shooting of an off-duty police officer
".
“
There is no place in our society for those who seek to harm public servants who protect the population
,” he added in a tweet.
The attack comes at a delicate political moment for the British province where Brexit has reignited community tensions.
Local institutions, supposed to be shared between communities, have been blocked for more than a year.
London is currently trying to agree with Brussels on a modification of the customs status of the province and to bring back the unionists in a local government.
(
And with
AFP)
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