Northern Ireland’s five main political party leaders stood alongside the region’s police chief on Friday in a rare “act of unity” over the attempted murder of a senior detective.
Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Caldwell was shot multiple times in front of his teenage son at a sports complex in Omagh, Co. Tyrone on Wednesday evening.
The off-duty police officer had just finished coaching a youth football team when he was gunned down in front of horrified bystanders—including several children.
Police have since confirmed they were now treating the attack as “terrorist-related” with detectives’ “primary line of inquiry” being the violent dissident republican terrorist group, the New IRA.
Following a meeting with politicians at the PSNI’s Belfast headquarters on Friday, Chief Constable Byrne spoke to the media alongside Stormont party leaders.
The rare act of unity comes in the middle of political deadlock over post-Brexit trading arrangements, which has left Northern Ireland without a functioning government for a year.
“We do not underestimate, from the point of view of the police service, how important it is that we are joined today in an act of unity from all the political parties across Northern Ireland,” Byrne said.
“Clearly we know from what we’ve done so far and from commentary from across the community, and the political spectrum, the sheer sense of outrage at this pointless and senseless attack on Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell.
“John remains in hospital, where he is critically ill and heavily sedated.”
The PSNI chief confirmed that a fourth arrest had been made by detectives investigating the shooting of their colleague.
A 22-year-old man was detained in the Coalisland area of Co. Tyrone on Friday morning.
Three other men arrested on Thursday remain in police custody. All four are being questioned under the Terrorism Act.
United ‘As One Voice’
Chief Constable Byrne said the presence of the five main political parties has “rippled through” the police force.“Since we spoke yesterday, last night I had the chance to speak with John’s wife and his son,” he said.
“They’re clearly heavily affected by what they’ve gone through, but want to pass on their thanks both to people that rendered first aid and care at the scene, but also in terms of the outpouring of support across the community in relation to this awful outrage.
“Clearly, today we’ve had a chance to talk to political leaders about the pace and context of this investigation, what it means for policing and what we sense will happen in the next few days,” Byrne said.
“We echo our thanks because it has rippled through the organisation about how important it is that we’re joined by the political leaders today at this unique time to show that we stand together and call out this outrage for what it is.”
Sinn Fein’s Stormont leader Michelle O’Neill emphasised the importance of unity in the wake of the attack on the senior detective.
“It is so important in moments like this that we stand united,” she said.
“We do stand here united as one voice in our condemnation against this horrific attack on a police officer, someone who is part of our community.
“I think that the most powerful message that we, as political leaders (can do, is) to stand with the chief constable today, to stand with the police service and say: ‘This is not good enough. This is an attack on all of us, this is an attack on our community.’”
Evil People
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said his thoughts and prayers were with Caldwell and his family, as he warned the people who carried out the attack: “You are not the future of this place.”Donaldson told the media: “We continue to pray that DCI Caldwell will make a good recovery from the terrible injuries that he has sustained, and also to say to all of those very brave men and women who each day serve our community so faithfully with great courage, that we all stand with you.
“You have our continued support.”
Donaldson said the government needed to ensure that the PSNI continued to have adequate resources amid the ongoing threats to police officers.
The DUP leader also took aim at those responsible for the attack on Caldwell.
“I would also say to the evil people who carried out this heinous attack and to their organisation—you are not the future of this place,“ he said. ”We stand against you.”
He added: “The murder of police officers and the attempted killing of those who serve our communities in Northern Ireland is unacceptable.
“My cousin was the first RUC officer to be murdered by the IRA in 1970. Loyalists have also killed police officers. It was never acceptable and it is not acceptable now.
“It will not be tolerated and we stand four-square with the police to ensure that those who have been responsible for this attack are brought to justice and that they do not dictate how this place moves forward in the future,” he said.
New IRA Focus
In a statement released on Friday afternoon, Assistant Chief Constable Mark McEwan said police were now treating Caldwell’s shooting as “terrorist-related.”“Following the attempted murder of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell on Wednesday, Feb. 22, I can confirm that we are now treating it as terrorist-related, and our primary line of inquiry is the New IRA,” he said.
The New IRA terror group was responsible for the killing of journalist Lyra McKee in Derry city in 2019.
The group is also thought to have been behind the attempted murder of two police officers in a bomb attack in Strabane, Co. Tyrone last November.
Omagh has seen significant dissident violence in the past, including a Real IRA bomb attack in 1998 that killed 29 people—one of whom was a woman pregnant with twins.
It was also where PSNI Constable Ronan Kerr was murdered in April 2011.
The terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland was lowered from severe to substantial for the first time in 12 years last March.
Caldwell, a police officer of 26 years, has led a number of major investigations in the region as a detective, including taking a key role in the murder probe that followed the killing of Natalie McNally in Lurgan, Co. Armagh in December.
According to PA, Irish police are cooperating closely with their northern Irish counterparts in the PSNI, and have intensified patrols.
