John Caldwell Shooting: Four arrested from protestant background

CRIMINALS who are known to police to be from a loyalist background are among those who have been arrested over the attempted murder of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell in Omagh. 

These details were announced at a policing board meeting today (March 2).

DCI Caldwell was shot multiple times on Wednesday, February 22 and is still critically ill in hospital at this time.

Police still believe the shooting was a terrorist attack carried out and claimed by the New IRA.

However, a number of people arrested during the investigation have been from a Protestant background. The police beleive some of these peole to be involved in criminality and have ‘strong connections’ to the New IRA.

Speaking at the Police Board meeting, Assistant Chief Constable Mark McEwan said there had been speculation about the motivation of the shooting because of the background of some of those who had been arrested.

Assistant Chief Constable McEwan said, “The individuals being speculated about are involved in criminality and have quite strong and long associations with dissident republicans, namely the New IRA.

“We are clear that this is still being assessed as an attack carried out by the New IRA and that’s where the primary focus of the investigation is at this point.”