Omagh police shooting an 'attack on peace process' says Michelle O'Neill

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The murder of an off-duty police officer in Omagh has been condemned across the UK and Ireland, including by Sinn Vice-President Fein, Michelle O'Neill, who said it was an 'attack on the peace process'.

Chief Detective Inspector John Caldwell, 48, remained in a critical but stable condition in hospital on Thursday evening after he was shot multiple times at a County Tyrone youth sports center where he had coached football.

Police say he was with his son, putting bullets in the trunk of his car, when he was shot dead on Wednesday evening. He underwent at least two surgeries.

Deputy Police Chief Mark McEwan said there were "many other young people, children" waiting to be picked up by their parents at the time of the attack. "And these kids ran for cover in sheer terror towards the center," he told reporters.

Dissident Republican group New IRA is the main target of detectives investigating about the shooting.

Three of the men, aged 38, 45 and 47, have been arrested and questioned, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said.

"These actions are completely intolerable and unacceptable to anyone," Ms O'Neill said. journalists in Stormont. "They represent an attack on the peace process and everything we have achieved over the past 25 years, and that cannot happen.

"Here we celebrate 25 years of the peace process , something we should all be very proud of, and these people are attacking the peace process, it's as simple as that, and it's not tolerable for anyone. We are all united as political leaders, as PSNI, as leaders of this island and the two islands.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he understood Mr was hoping and praying that he could recover.

He denied that the current political vacuum in Stormont could be linked to the attack.

"I believe it was a carefully targeted attack and we have seen that lately from dissident republicans in particular, and I think the clear message that we have sought to send as political leaders is that there is unity among us not only in our condemnation but also in our support for the police," he said. he told reporters in Stormont.

"I have already made commitments to the government on the need to ensure that the police have the resources they need, whether that be recruiting officers additional or other forms of practical support t...