Three Charged Over Shooting of Det. Inspector John Caldwell

[Ladybbird]

IRA Claims Derry Car Bomb Attack >Issues Warning to British Forces

A group calling themselves the "IRA" has claimed responsibility for the car bomb that detonated in Derry on 19 January

IrishCentral 29 Jan, 2019





A car bomb attack outside a Derry courthouse earlier in January has been claimed by a group calling itself the "IRA."



A statement from the group, in which they issued a warning to British forces, was issued by The Derry Journal.

The group claims they placed the car bomb that detonated shortly after 8 pm in Bishop Street on 19 January. Security alerts had initially linked the attack to a group called the New IRA and police were investigating this group as their "main line of inquiry."

Five men arrested on suspicion of the bombing were released without charge.


The full statement from the "IRA" reads:

"The IRA claim responsibility for the bomb attack on the Courthouse in Derry last week.

"Despite a heavy presence by the Crown forces, our volunteers returned safely to base.

"We will continue to strike at Crown forces personnel and their imperial establishment.

"We also caution those who collaborate with the British that they are to desist immediately as no more warnings will be given.

"All this talk of Brexit, hard borders, soft borders has no bearing on our actions and the IRA won't be going anywhere.

"Our fight goes on."

[Ladybbird]

New IRA Terror Fears After Firebombs Sent to Heathrow, London City Airports & Waterloo Station

London was on terror alert after Jiffy Bags with Irish “love” stamps arrives at London City Airport, Waterloo train station and Heathrow in a single day

Mirror UK, 6 MAR 2019.




Emergency services at Waterloo after one of the letter bombs was discovered in the station post room (Image: Luke Dray/Cover Images)





Three jiffy bag 'bombs' were found at Heathrow and London City airports as well as Waterloo station..


Police in Ireland are assisting a Metropolitan Police investigation after three improvised explosive devices were discovered across London.

At least two of the jiffy bags had Irish stamps attached to them, including one which included a return address in the Republic of Ireland.


The stamps appear to resemble a 'Love & Marriage stamp' which are available in Irish post offices and were issued to celebrate Saint Valentine's Day in 2018.

Irish detectives are now investigating whether the incidents are linked to dissident republican groups operating in Northern Ireland, reports say.

A Garda Síochána source said: "At least one of the packages originated from Dublin and it is believed that all of these packages from Ireland.

“It is most likely to be a New IRA dissident republican orientated attack but it could also be Islamic - there is nothing in the packages that lead anyone to believe in specifics.

"There will now be a full investigation here in Ireland as well as in the UK to determine who it came from."





The packages were delivered to transport hubs across London (Image: SKy News)


One of image showed a partially-burned package addressed to Heathrow which appeared to have Dublin written in black ink in the bottom right-hand corner of the envelope.
The other picture showed a jiffy bag addressed to Waterloo, with its sender's address appearing to be Bus Eireann, Dublin.

The operator said police had not been in touch, with a spokeswoman saying: "Bus Eireann are currently not aware of this and we have no further comment."





The packages were capable of igniting when opened (Image: SKy News)


A Garda spokesman would only confirm that they are assisting Met Police officers in their enquiries.

The Met's Counter Terrorism Command is "keeping an open mind regarding motives.
Three jiffy bag 'bombs' were found at Heathrow and London City airports as well as Waterloo station.

One package burst into flames at Heathrow Airport's Compass Centre at around 9:55am this morning.





Armed police on the scene at London City Airport (Image: Rob Pinney/LNP)


Another suspect device was found by British Transport Police at a postal room in Waterloo Station at around 11.40am.

London City Airport workers reported a third incident at Aviation House just after mid-day.

Police have been placed on high alert following the incidents which are being treated as a "linked series".

No injuries were reported and no arrests have yet been made.





The public have been told to stay alert (Image: Rob Pinney/LNP)


Transport hubs across the capital have been told to remain vigilant and passengers have been urged to report suspicious devices to authorities.

Some staff at City and Heathrow airports were forced to evacuate to other buildings following the discovery of the chilling discoveries.





A policewoman stands guard outside a police cordon at Waterloo Station (Image: AFP/Getty Images)


Security expert Will Geddes claimed the incidents at Heathrow, London City and London Waterloo were to be expected given the current threat level.

He said: "We've not had a significant incident for quite some time. To be honest, we were anticipating something happening.
"Transportation hubs have always been on the agenda for any kind of terrorist group."
He said it is "really tricky" to keep train stations and airports safe.

"The biggest threat you're always going to have is someone leaving an IED in an unattended bag," he said.

He added: "It would appear that they have been hand written addressed envelopes, which in itself will be potential forensic treasure for the investigators to try and track and trace who might have been the originator."

[Ladybbird]

Brexit Helping New IRA Recruit Says Their Army Council

Brexit has helped the New IRA recruit and win support in nationalist areas a member of their Army Council has told the Irish edition of The Sunday Times of London.

Irish Central, 28 APR 2019.








The Army Council met with Dublin journalist John Mooney and apologized again for the killing of Lyra McKee, the 29-year old journalist gunned down by the group during a Derry riot.

However they said their war would go on.


“You ask, is this madness? There will be madness as long as there is armed occupation in Ireland. As I said, go back to what the IRA did in the 1970s; condemning the IRA is nothing new.”

On Brexit they stated: “Brexit is an English construct devised by the Tory party. There is an awakening of issues concerning the presence of the border now. Brexit has forced the IRA to refocus and has underlined how Ireland remains partitioned. It’s put the border on the agenda again. We would be foolish not to capitalize on the fallout when it happens.”

The dissidents stated the Good Friday agreement is a failed accord.

“[Politicians] are happy to get paid by the British for doing nothing in Stormont. Stormont is a failed institution that no longer serves any purpose.

“The politicians haven’t been in Stormont for years, not that we want them there,” said one, who suggested the 1998 settlement had become irrelevant with time.

“We still have all the issues that existed before the Good Friday agreement.

The British have never signaled their intention to leave Ireland. You mention the possibility of a border poll but it would only be organized at the discretion of a British secretary of state.

Britain still has a veto over Irish sovereignty. No one even read the [accord’s] document before the vote. It was like Brexit — people didn’t know what they were voting for.”

“People were tired of war, being stopped and searched walking down the road. The support for the agreement was a reaction to that.”





Read More: Ireland’s blood-soaked history and the tragic murder of Lyra McKee

Read More: Sickening return of Ireland’s “men of violence” in New IRA

[Ladybbird]

Investigating the New IRA in Northern Ireland - BBC News


Police in Northern Ireland say that any witnesses to the dissident republican murder of journalist Lyra McKee will be offered anonymity if they agree to give evidence against her killers.

She was shot dead two weeks ago by the New Irish Republican Army, known as the New IRA.

The killing has sparked a backlash against the hardliners who continue to launch attacks more than 20 years after the signing of the Northern Ireland Agreement that ended the Troubles.

Police say the group known as ‘Saoradh’ are the political voice of the New IRA. They say they played no role in the death of Lyra McKee. The BBC’s Ireland Correspondent Emma Vardy reports on the group from Londonderry.

[Ladybbird]

Former IRA Fighter Arrested by ICE in Boston US

Boston-based U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have arrested a former Irish Republican Army fighter and are holding him for deportation.

IrishCentral Nov 11, 2019









Members of the Irish Republican Army turn out at a recent funeral.



“We arrested McMenamin and he is in ICE custody,” a law enforcement official said late Friday.

McMenamin had retained contacts on Irish issues in Boston and had spoken at a Rhode Island Irish history event, in November 2016, hosted by the Sons and Daughters of Erin.

“He talked about growing up in Ireland and how hard it was as a kid,” said a source, who asked to remain anonymous.

“That’s the last time I saw him. It was about three years ago and he was invited to speak to us,” a local Irish American activist told the Boston Herald newspaper.

The bomb that destroyed the police station in 1993 marked the end of the Christmas truce that year. The IRA commenced a prolonged ceasefire in August of the following year.

The blast damaged the police station in Fintona, a small town 40 miles west of Belfast, according to United Press International.

The two innocent bystanders injured, a man and a woman in their 20s, “suffered shock and minor cuts,” the UPI reported.

The two IRA men were arrested. The London Independent reported that “Darcey Gearoid McMenamin, 18, and Dominic Pearse Darcy, 21, both of Omagh, Co Tyrone, appeared at Belfast magistrates' court charged with bombing the RUC station in Fintona 16 minutes after the end of the IRA's Christmas ceasefire. Both were remanded in custody until 28 January.”

McMenamin was later jailed for eight years but paroled as part of a “compassionate release” program tied to the Good Friday Agreement. He then moved to Boston where he lived as an undocumented immigrant until his arrest on Nov 2, 2019.

[Ladybbird]

Bomb Found on Lorry Set to Cross Irish Sea on Ferry on Brexit Day

Dissident Republicans Blamed for Brexit Day Bomb Plot in Northern Ireland

Police discovered a bomb on a lorry at an industrial estate in Lurgan, Co Armagh, after being tipped off that an HGV rigged with explosives was due to travel on a ferry from Belfast to Scotland

IrishCentral / Daily Mirror UK, 6FEB,2020...




Northern Irish police investigate "dissident republican" Brexit day bomb plot





The bomb was found on a lorry at the Silverwood Industrial Estate (Image: ©Philip Magowan / PressEye)


The device was found attached to a lorry in an industrial estate in Lurgan, Co Armagh on Monday, February 3, police said.

Police first received a tip that there was an explosive device on a lorry at Belfast Docks on Friday. The report claimed that the lorry was to travel from Belfast to Scotland and explode in Britain on January 31, the day the United Kingdom left the European Union.

PSNI officials carried out a sweep and found no sign of a bomb and the ferry sailed to Scotland as planned.

However, Northern Irish police received a second report on Monday that a device was attached to a named haulage company, resulting in a two-day search.

After the two-day operation, which involved the search of over 400 trucks in the Silverwood industrial estate in Lurgan, police discovered the bomb attached to a heavy goods vehicle.

The bomb was safely disarmed by army bomb disposal officers. The size of the bomb is not known.

Terrorism investigators at Police Service of Northern Ireland have blamed dissident republicans for the bomb plot.





Detective Superintendent Sean Wright has blamed dissident republicans (Image: PA)

Detective Superintendent Sean Wright, from the Police Service of Northern Ireland's terrorism investigation unit, suggested many could have been killed had the device exploded during the lorry's journey.

He said: “Following communications released by police yesterday of an explosive device in Silverwood Industrial Estate, Lurgan I can confirm that police first received a report on the evening of Friday 31 January that an explosive device was in a lorry in Belfast docks.

"That report informed police that the lorry was due to travel by ferry to Scotland.

"Based on this information police conducted checks of the docks area and worked with the ferry company, Belfast Harbour authorities and Police Scotland to try to locate that device.

The bomb is believed to have been placed on a haulage company truck that specializes in transporting frozen goods across the UK, Ireland, and Europe.

Sean Wright, Detective Superintendent of the PSNI's Counter-Terrorism Unit, condemned the plot and blasted the dissident republican movement.

"It is clear from the information available to police that dissident republicans deliberately and recklessly attached an explosive device to a heavy goods vehicle in the full knowledge and expectation that it would put the driver of that vehicle, road users and the wider public at serious risk of injury and possible death," Wright said.

"The only conclusion that we can draw is that once again Dissident Republicans have shown a total disregard for the community, for businesses and for wider society."

The Detective Superintendent called for any members of the public who may have witnessed unusual activity in the Silverwood Industrial Estate to come forward.

On Thursday, the president of Sinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald condemned the plot: "There is no appetite anywhere in the island for a return to armed or violent actions of any sort and those that attempted this act know that and I would say to them desist, stop it, you achieve nothing'."

[Ladybbird]

US Immigration Police Deport Convicted IRA Bomber From Boston

Darcy Gearoid McMenamin, convicted of participating in the 1993 IRA bombing of a Northern Irish police station, has been deported from Boston back to Ireland.

Irish Central, 25 JUL 2020






Darcy Gearoid McMenamin, a County Tyrone native convicted of bombing a police station in 1993, has been deported from the United States despite his requests to remain there.


U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Boston have confirmed they "removed" an illegally present Irish national Darcy Gearoid McMenamin on July 20.

McMenamin was arrested in Boston in November of last year. A native of Tattyreagh, Co Tyrone and a member of the Irish Republican Army, McMenamin was convicted of participation in the 1993 bombing of a police station in Northern Ireland.

In a statement issued on July 23, ICE said that McMenamin was removed after an immigration judge in Boston denied his request to remain in the US, made on June 3.

According to ICE, "McMenamin has a history of terrorism-related crime in Ireland, to include a conviction for participation in the bombing of a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) police station near Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, in 1993, for which he received a sentence of eight years in prison in Northern Ireland."

Todd M. Lyons, field office director for ERO Boston, said: “There is no safe haven in the U.S. for foreign nationals convicted of terrorist activities. ERO Boston officers still continue their duties even during these trying times.

"Those who believe they can hide in the U.S. from their crimes including terrorist activities they committed in other countries are in for a rude awakening. ICE remains committed to removing dangerous foreign nationals from the U.S., even those who may have managed to evade immigration law for a lengthy period of time."

The ICE statement added: "McMenamin entered and departed the U.S. via the visa waiver program multiple times between 2000 and 2007, but never disclosed his criminal history on his arrival and departure record as required. In 2007, U.S. Customs and Border Protection provided McMenamin port-authorized parole into the U.S. for a few days for the birth of his child, but he never departed in violation of U.S. immigration law.

"ICE is focused on removing public safety threats, such as convicted criminal aliens and gang members, as well as individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws and those convicted of terrorist activities, including those who illegally re-entered the country after being removed and immigration fugitives ordered removed by federal immigration judges."

The Irish News previously reported that McMenamin was 18 when he was accused of co-planting a bomb in the vacant Fintona police station in Co Tyrone in 1993. Two passersby were "slightly injured" as a result of the explosion. The incident marked the end of the IRA's annual Christmas period truce. The following year, the IRA announced a ceasefire.

McMenamin was sentenced to 16 years for his role in the bombing but was freed from the Maze in 1998 as part of the Good Friday Agreement early prisoner releases.


Read More:

US immigration police train civilians to arrest undocumented

[Ladybbird]

Sinn Féin Leaders' Apology to Royal Family The Right Thing to Do

President of Sinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald has apologized to the British Royal family for the murder of Lord Mountbatten by the IRA.

Irish Central, 25 APR 2021






In an extraordinary gesture, the head of Sinn Féin has apologized for the murder of Lord Mountbatten in the week that his nephew Prince Philip died. The apology reflects that we live in very different times now from The Troubles.







Mary Lou McDonald the Sinn Féin leader has apologized to the Royal Family for the murder of Lord Louis Mountbatten, in County Sligo, on August 27, 1979. The timing was correct on a week of tragedy for the Royal family even if arguably, the apology should have been made in 2011 during the Queen’s state visit to Ireland.


Also killed were two teenagers and Lady Brabourne, mother of one of the boys, Nicholas Brabourne who was 14, The other teen was a 15-year old local lad Paul Maxwell.

It was one of the darkest episodes of The Troubles, intensified by an attack later that day on a British army unit that killed 18 soldiers.



It is an extraordinary apology and a brave decision by Mary Lou McDonald to acknowledge that like so many deaths in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic during The Troubles, the Mountbatten murder was wrong and did nothing for peace.

The apology could also have been prompted by the continued goodwill towards the Irish peace process shown by the Queen and her courtiers, The Queen’s visit to Ireland in 2011 is rightly seen as a turning point as was her greeting among with Prince Philip of Sinn Féin leader Martin McGuinness in 2016 and the brief meeting between Gerry Adams and Prince Charles in 2015.

Those meetings and continued contacts have made it clear that the royal family stands ready to help rather than hinder the peace process in Ireland --no small matter. It is in that context that McDonald spoke and apologized.

It is excellent timing as The New York Times noticed: ”Seeking to salve an old wound at a time of sorrow for Britain’s royal family, the political leader of the Irish republican movement apologized for the 1979 assassination of Louis Mountbatten, an uncle of Prince Philip.”

McDonald was also addressing a new generation of Irish who know little of The Troubles other than from history books and she is drawing a clear line between politics and conflict.

As the largest political party in Northern Ireland and second largest in the Irish Republic, Sinn Féin has pivoted completely to a peace strategy.

[Ladybbird]

Amnesty For All IRA and British Soldiers To Be Announced

The British government plans to end prosecutions for all killings during Northern Ireland's Troubles.

Irish Central, 14 JUL 2021.






The British government is expected to formally confirm a plan, on Wednesday, to introduce a statute of limitations in the autumn for all killings during the Troubles up to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, in April 1998.

On Wednesday, Brandon Lewis, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, will outline the proposal for dealing with legacy issues to do with the Troubles in the House of Commons. It is expected that this will include the British government's intention to introduce a statute of limitations, as soon as autumn 2021.

The proposed statute of limitations would including killings carried out by the Irish Republican Army (IRA), the Ulster Defense Association, and the Ulster Volunteer Forces, as well as other republican and loyalist paramilitary groups. It would also end criminal investigations into any killings carried out by British soldiers, police officers, and members of military intelligence. It is estimated that 3,250 people were killed during the Troubles (1968 – 1998).


Opposition to Amnesty

"Critics have said such a move would represent an amnesty," RTE reports. Ireland's government, the Stormont Executive of Northern Ireland and victims' groups oppose the plan.

In May 2021, a number of British newspapers reported a ban on the prosecution of military veterans. This came just days before the ten victims of the 1971 Ballymurphy were found innocent and their killings by the British Parachute Regiment.

Ireland's Taoiseach (Leader) Micheál Martin said this move would be "a breach of trust" and "a betrayal of the victims".

Tánaister (Deputy Leader) Leo Varadkar said the Irish government was "very alarmed and deeply disturbed" by the British newspaper's reports.

Simon Coveney, Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs also said the government would oppose this move.

Just three weeks ago Ireland and Britain's government had announced, following the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, plans for talks between Northern Ireland's political parties and victims of the Troubles. The aim of these planned talks was to find "an agreed way forward" to deal with legacy issues.

Since then there has only been one meeting. A second meeting was set to take place on Wednesday, July 14, but was canceled.


Decision Made

Several senior political sources in Northern Ireland have told the RTE that they believe the British government has made up its mind. The said Britain "is telling us, not asking what is the best way forward".

Another said "They may be hearing the words spoken but I don’t think they’re listening to a single word.

"They have made it very clear in recent weeks what the preferred direction of travel is and they seem determined to follow it."

General Richard Dannatt, a former head of the British army has described the plans as "the least worst solution". Speaking to BBC Radio 4 he said "This isn't the solution to everyone's problems; I call it the least worst solution.

"But it does provide a mechanism whereby investigations can continue, questioning can continue so that families who lost loved ones during the Troubles get to know what happened but without the fear of prosecution being held above the heads of military veterans."

A British government source told the Daily Mail "A Government source said: 'We want to give Northern Ireland society the best chance of moving forward as one – to do that we must confront the difficult and painful reality that the realistic prospect of prosecutions is vanishingly small and while that prospect remains Northern Ireland will continue to be hamstrung by its past.

"Our legacy package will support Northern Ireland to move beyond an adversarial cycle that doesn't deliver information or reconciliation for victims and survivors, nor end the cycle of investigations against our veterans."

Tory Member of the Parliament Julian Lewis, former chairman of the Commons defense committee, said "There is no way that you can come up with a solution that will satisfy everybody."

He added that the IRA "effectively already had a get-out-of-jail-free card" as a result of concessions granted by Tony Blair, as part of the Good Friday Agreement.

Former Tory chairman Norman Tebbit said "It won't make much difference to the terrorists – Tony Blair gave the IRA a free pass years ago. But stopping the persecution of our soldiers would be a good thing – it has been completely unfair."

Read More

• Auschwitz Museum slams Irish politician's comparisons to Nazi Germany

[Ladybbird]

Omagh: Off-Duty Police Officer Shot at Sports Centre

An off-duty police officer is in a critical but stable condition after being shot at a sports complex in Omagh, County Tyrone.

BBC 23 FEB 2023








There are unconfirmed reports that he was hit multiple times on the Killyclogher Road at about 20:00 GMT.

The Police Federation for Northern Ireland said two gunmen were involved and he was shot while he coached young people playing football.



Rishi Sunak said he was "appalled by the disgraceful shooting".

"There is no place in our society for those who seek to harm public servants protecting communities," said the prime minister.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Simon Byrne said he was "shocked and saddened" by the events.

"We will relentlessly pursue those responsible," he tweeted.

The victim is being treated at Altnagelvin Area Hospital in Londonderry.


'Chaotic scene'

Police forensic officers are carrying out an examination of the grounds of the sports facility where the off-duty officer was shot.

Local politicians who arrived shortly after the gun attack say it was a chaotic scene as parents arrived to pick up children from training.

They say it was very busy this evening with a number of different sports groups using the facility.

The complex has been sealed off while police commence their investigation.

A number of cars remain in the car park, within the police cordon, with the entire complex now a crime scene.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said it received a call about the shooting at Youth Sport Omagh at 20:00 GMT and sent a crew.


'Chilling attack'

Sinn Féin deputy leader Michelle O'Neill said it was an "outrageous and shameful attack" and added: "I unreservedly condemn this reprehensible attempt to murder a police officer."

Democratic Unionist leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson condemned the "cowards responsible for this".

Former justice minister and Alliance leader Naomi Long said her thoughts were with those affected by this "evil act of cowardice".

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, MP, said it was a "chilling attack on an individual serving his community".

Ulster Unionist assembly member Tom Elliott said it was a "despicable and cowardly action".

The Northern Ireland Secretary, Chris Heaton-Harris, said that "those responsible for such horror must be brought to justice".

Taoiseach (Irish PM) Leo Vardakar said he condemned the "grotesque act of attempted murder".

The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin, said he was "shocked and appalled" by the shooting.

[Ladybbird]

Three Arrested After Omagh Officer Shooting

IRA Suspected of Shooting
---Children ran in 'sheer terror'

BBC 23 FEB 2023






Det Ch Insp John Caldwell


Det Ch Insp John Caldwell is one of the best-known detectives in the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne said: "They are currently being questioned by detectives at Musgrave serious crime suite."

Police said they were keeping an open mind but the "primary focus" was on dissident republicans and the NEW IRA.


Assistant Chief Constable Mark McEwan says children ran in “sheer terror” when two gunmen fired multiple shots at Det Ch Insp John Caldwell.

“John was finishing up coaching an under-15 football team, he was accompanied by his young son,” he says.

“Two gunmen appeared, fired multiple shots and John ran a short distance and as he fell to the ground gunmen continued to fire shots at him.

“We’d like acknowledge the quick brave actions of one member of the public who gave first aid.

“At this time there were many other children, those children ran for cover in sheer terror.”

Officer has surgery and remains critical - chief constable

Det Ch Insp John Caldwell has had surgery overnight and remains in a critical condition at Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry, the chief constable says.

Simon Byrne adds the PSNI is shocked and angered by what he describes as a "brazen attack".

He says his colleagues are extremely distressed by the attack but remain resolute and determined to bring those responsible to justice.

Arrests made in Omagh and Coalisland

The three men arrested are aged 38, 45 and 47.

They were detained in Omagh and Coalisland.

[Ladybbird]

Seven Charged With Attempted Murder of PSNI Officer in Tyrone

Detective Inspector John Caldwell was shot several times in front of his teenage son while putting footballs in his car after coaching a youth team at a sports complex in Tyrone on February 22.

Irish Central 29 MAY 2023





Detective Inspector Caldwell was shot several times in front of his teenage son while putting footballs in his car after coaching a youth team at a sports complex in Tyrone on February 22.





The PSNI charged seven men with Caldwell's attempted murder on Saturday night, including two men aged 28 and five men aged 33, 38, 45, 47, and 72.

The 38 and 45-year-old men have also been charged with membership of a proscribed organization, namely the IRA, while three men - aged 28, 33, and 47 - have been charged with preparation of terrorist acts.

All seven men will appear before Dungannon Magistrates Court via video link on Monday, May 29.

The seven men were arrested in connection with the shooting on Friday morning in addition to two other men and two women.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Detective Chief Inspector Eamonn Corrigan said the PSNI has made 28 arrests to date while investigating 21 individuals.

Caldwell sustained life-changing injuries during the attack and spent months recovering at Derry's Altnagelvin Hospital, where he received a visit from British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

He was discharged from the hospital in April and made his first public appearance since the shooting on Wednesday, May 24, attending a garden party at Hillsborough Castle in County Down with King Charles III and Queen Camila.

Caldwell reportedly held a private audience with Charles at the function.

DCI Corrigan said on Friday that he was "delighted" to hear that Caldwell was on the road to recovery and able to attend Wednesday's function.

"Now we need to make sure we bring those vile individuals who tried to murder him to justice," Corrigan said at Friday's press conference.

[Ladybbird]

Omagh Shooting: Three Charged Over Shooting of Detective Inspector John Caldwell. The men Are Aged 45, 47 and 58.

Three men have been charged with preparatory acts of terrorism by detectives investigating the attempted murder of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell.

BBC NEWS 5 JULY 2023




Three men arrested earlier in connection with the attempted murder of Det Ch Insp John Caldwell have been charged with terrorism offences.





Det Ch Insp Caldwell was shot after coaching a youth football team in Omagh, County Tyrone, on 22 February.





The men, aged 45, 47 and 58, have all been charged with preparatory acts of terrorism.

The 45-year-old and the 58-year-old have also been charged with possessing articles for use in terrorism.

They have both been further charged with providing property for the purposes of terrorism.

All three men are expected to appear before Belfast Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

The men were arrested under the Terrorism Act in Newtownabbey, Coalisland and Belfast on Tuesday.

There have been 31 arrests to date over the attack on Det Ch Insp Caldwell - a figure that includes individuals who have been arrested more than once.

The shooting happened at a sports complex in Omagh

The dissident republican group the New IRA said it carried out the shooting, at a sports complex car park.

Seven men have appeared in court charged in relation to the attack.

The shooting, which happened in front of school children, was widely condemned by political figures across Northern Ireland and beyond.