Woman arrested as New IRA admits killing Irish journalist

DPA, 23rd APRIL, 2019 - A 57-year-old woman has been arrested under anti-terrorism laws in connection with the fatal shooting of journalist Lyra McKee in Derry/Londonderry, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said on Tuesday.

Detectives took the woman to the Musgrave Serious Crime Suite in Belfast for questioning on McKee’s death, the PSNI said.

McKee was standing near police when she was shot in the head during rioting late Thursday in Creggan, a suburb in the city known as Derry to Irish nationalists and Londonderry to British unionists.

The New IRA, a splinter group of the former Irish Republican Army, admitted responsibility for McKee’s death in a letter to local media late Monday.

“In the course of attacking the enemy Lyra McKee was tragically killed while standing beside enemy forces,” the dissident group said in a statement provided to The Irish News.
The Belfast-based news service said the message had been verified by using a recognized codeword.

“The IRA offer our full and sincere apologies to the partner, family and friends of Lyra McKee for her death,” the statement said.