An independent charity is offering a £150,000 reward for information on the shooting of a senior Northern Ireland police officer.
Crimestoppers said it is one of the highest rewards the charity has ever offered, as new details surrounding the attempted murder of Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) John Caldwell were released by police.
Speaking at the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s (PSNI) Belfast headquarters on Wednesday, Crimestoppers’s Director of Operations Mark Duthrie said he wanted those responsible “to be brought to justice.”
“Through the generosity of anonymous donors from Northern Ireland, we are now increasing our reward for information leading to arrest and conviction up to a total of £150,000,” he said.
“This is one of the highest rewards the charity has ever offered.”
Caldwell was shot several times in Co. Tyrone last week and remains critically ill in hospital.
The off-duty police officer had just finished coaching a youth football team when he was targeted in the car park of the Omagh sports complex.
Police have linked dissident republican terror group, the New IRA, to the attack.
In a joint press conference alongside Crimestoppers, the PSNI revealed that detectives now believe a second vehicle is suspected to have been used to carry out the shooting on Caldwell.
Police previously appealed for information regarding a blue Ford Fiesta discovered at the end of February.
New CCTV of this vehicle leaving Coalisland in Co. Tyrone on the night of Feb. 21 has now been released.
Outlining the details, Detective Chief Inspector Eamonn Corrigan said: “Today I’m in a position to say a second Ford Fiesta vehicle was used in the attempted murder of DCI Caldwell.
“The second car had the registration number RLZ 9805 and was bought in the Glengormley area of Belfast towards the end of January.
“It was then driven from Belfast at approximately 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22, the day of the attack on John, and travelled along the M1 in the direction of Coalisland and Omagh.
“It was found burnt out in the Ardboe industrial estate the following day.”
Threat Level Under Review
Police said previously they believe the first car had transported the shooter.Corrigan said officers are “keeping an open mind” about the nature of the second car but suspect both vehicles were used during the attack.
The news comes just hours after Chris Heaton-Harris, the secretary of state for Northern Ireland, said the province’s terror threat level was being “constantly reviewed.”
Speaking to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, which is examining paramilitary and organised crime in the region, he said: “It is true that we’ve had this shooting and there was the attempted bombing of police officers on Nov. 17 last year by an improvised IED [Improvised explosive device].
“And we'd had previous to that a good period of time without such an attack.
“But in the assessment of the security threat—I think the official answer that I’ve heard many times—this assessment is always being constantly looked at just to see if it is the right level.”
He also revealed that Irish police had reacted immediately to offer support to the PSNI in the aftermath of the police officer’s shooting.
The Northern Ireland secretary was responding to concerns raised at the committee by Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP Jim Shannon about a lack of security cooperation from the Irish state in providing information about a number of Troubles offences.
Telling MPs that it was alleged that those who shot the senior detective had fled across the border, Shannon said it “looked like nothing had improved.”
But Heaton-Harris countered that Irish Justice Minister Simon Harris had offered whatever assistance was required following the shooting of Caldwell in Omagh last month.
“What we have seen following the attack on DCI Caldwell demonstrates a proper understanding of how we can help each other,” he said.
“The day after DCI Caldwell was shot, I had Simon Harris—the Irish minister for justice—on the phone, not just offering an expression of support and solidarity, but whatever assistance the Irish state could give in the aftermath of the attack.
“Commissioner Drew Harris, beyond the usual routine contact his officers have with the PSNI, they acted immediately in the aftermath of that attack to support PSNI with patrols in border areas, investigations, and inquiries, so PSNI officers could do what we would have expected them to do around dealing with the immediate aftermath.”
The Northern Ireland secretary added that there was a lot of “cross-fertilisation” between both the Republic and Northern Ireland.
He added, “I am actually quite positive about the current and future arrangements and co-operation on policing and security on dealing with paramilitarism.”
Dissident Republicans
Police have previously said their “primary” line of inquiry is that the attack on the high-profile officer was carried out by the New IRA.It was signed by “T O’Neill”—a name previously used by the dissident terrorist group.
“The Irish Republican Army claim responsibility for the military operation targeting senior Crown Force member John Caldwell,” the message reads.
“An active service unit of the IRA were in position to target the enemy within our chosen kill zone with other armed volunteers giving cover. All volunteers returned safely to base.”
The message went on to threaten police officers by saying the IRA has “security information regarding the out of bounds movement of Crown Force personnel.”
Sinn Fein policing board member Gerry Kelly asked Assistant Chief Constable Mark McEwan for an update on the investigation.
McEwan said: “We know there is speculation about the motivation behind the shooting incident because of the community background of some of the people who have been arrested.
“We are very clear that this is still assessed as being an attack carried out by the New IRA and that is where the primary focus of the investigation is.”
Kelly said it was believed that four of the people who had been arrested were from a loyalist background and asked if there was a loyalist connection to the shooting.
McEwan said people should not get “confused” with titles such as loyalism.
He added, “We still assess that this has been an attack carried out by the New IRA who have very explicitly stated that they wish to carry out attacks on police officers and John has been the target on this occasion.”
The shooting, described by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as “disgraceful,” has received condemnations across Northern Ireland’s political spectrum.
A joint statement from Stormont political leaders described the murder bid as an attack carried out “by the enemies of our peace.”
