John Caldwell shooting: Criminals with a loyalist background arrested

Criminals with a loyalist inheritance and who person links to the New IRA are among those to person been arrested implicit the attempted execution of 1 of Northern Ireland's apical detectives.

The item emerged astatine a Policing Board gathering connected Thursday.

Det Ch Insp John Caldwell was changeable respective times successful Omagh past week and is inactive critically sick successful hospital.

Four of those held for questioning successful caller days are believed to person been from a Protestant background.

But constabulary inactive judge the shooting was a violent onslaught carried retired and claimed by the New IRA.

Speaking astatine the meeting, Assistant Chief Constable Mark McEwan said determination had been immoderate speculation astir the information of the shooting due to the fact that of the inheritance of immoderate of those who had been arrested.

"The individuals being speculated astir are progressive successful criminality and person rather beardown and agelong associations with dissident republicans, namely the New IRA," helium said.

"We are wide that this inactive assessed arsenic being an onslaught carried retired by the New IRA and that's wherever the superior absorption of the probe is astatine this point."

The elder officer's comments followed a question by Sinn Féin's Gerry Kelly astir the inheritance of those who had been questioned by police.

Mr Kelly went connected to inquire if determination was believed to beryllium a "loyalist connection" successful the constabulary investigation.

Mr McEwan said radical should not get "confused" with titles specified arsenic loyalism.

"These are radical who are progressive successful criminality, they person beardown links to members of the New IRA - those are long-standing links," helium said.

"They person been arrested due to the fact that we person suspected them of being progressive successful this.

"We inactive measure chapeau this has been an onslaught carried retired by the New IRA, who person precise explicitly stated that they privation to transportation retired attacks connected constabulary officers.

"John has been the people connected this occasion."