Two arrested in investigation into attempted murder of PSNI senior detective

PSNI says two men are detained under the Terrorism Act

Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell was seriously injured after being shot several times at a leisure centre in Omagh in February 2023. Photograph: Brian Lawless/ PA
Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell was seriously injured after being shot several times at a leisure centre in Omagh in February 2023. Photograph: Brian Lawless/ PA

Two men have been arrested by detectives investigating the attempted murder of a senior police officer in Co Tyrone.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell was seriously injured after being shot several times at a leisure centre in Omagh in February 2023.

The attack happened while he was off duty and with his young son, packing up after coaching a youth football team.

On Monday the PSNI said two men had been arrested.

They said a 45-year-old was arrested in the Stewartstown area, while a 25-year-old man was arrested in west Belfast earlier on Monday.

They were detained under the Terrorism Act.

“They have been taken to Musgrave Serious Crime Suite for questioning,” the PSNI said.

“A property in west Belfast was searched and a vehicle seized.”

Several people have already been arrested and charged in relation to the shooting, which police linked to dissident republicans.

Mr Caldwell retired from the PSNI last December on medical grounds. – PA

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