Advertisement

Sixth man arrested in connection with attempted murder on PSNI officer in Omagh

A sixth suspect has been arrested in connection with the attempted murder of a PSNI officer this ...
Mairead Maguire
Mairead Maguire

08.57 26 Feb 2023


Share this article


Sixth man arrested in connecti...

Sixth man arrested in connection with attempted murder on PSNI officer in Omagh

Mairead Maguire
Mairead Maguire

08.57 26 Feb 2023


Share this article


A sixth suspect has been arrested in connection with the attempted murder of a PSNI officer this week.

Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell was shot and seriously injured in front of his young son and others after a coaching session at a sports complex in Co Tyrone.

According to police, the attack happened while the detective was loading footballs into the boot of his car when the two men opened fire.

Advertisement

The man, aged 71, was arrested in Omagh on Saturday and is currently being questioned by detectives in the Musgrave Serious Crime Suite.

Five other men - aged 22, 38, 43, 45 and 47 - have also been arrested in connection with the attempted murder remain in police custody.

Hundreds gathered in Omagh yesterday to rally against paramilitary violence after the attack on Mr Caldwell, which is being treated as 'terrorist-related'.

Omagh rally

Speaking at the rally, Pádraig Mulholland from NIPSA trade union said that "enough is enough".

"Draw a line under these activities, consign them to history and let's move society on", he said.

"We should not find ourselves pushed into a place where oppression starts to happen in our society again.

"We want a fair, free, open society for everybody. We want things to change. No going back.

"There are those in society on both sides of the sectarian divide who will welcome the opportunity that this attack offers them, to stir the pot of sectarianism again, to try to take us back to where we used to be.

"But let's be clear again, there is no going back to those days."

Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell. Picture by: PA Images / Alamy

Football Club

Mr Caldwell was shot after a coaching session at a sports complex in Co Tyrone while volunteering at Beragh Swifts Football Club.

Chair of the club, Ricky Lions, told Newstalk that the incident has impacted many people in the community.

"It's been tough, I'll not lie", he said.

"But the community has rallied and there's been a lot of support for John, there's been a lot of support for us.

"There was other people affected. There was other clubs there at the same time and all those people have been affected, our kids have been affected."

Main image shows A Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) patrol car equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras in Belfast. PA Images/Alamy


Share this article


Read more about

Co Tyrone Omagh PSNI Paramilitaries Sectarian

Most Popular