Suspect questioned in Lyra murder case
DETECTIVES investigating the murder of Northern Ireland journalist Lyra Mckee yesterday arrested a 27-year-old man.
Ms Mckee (29) was shot dead by dissident republicans in Londonderry in April 2019 as she observed rioting in the Creggan area of the city.
The extremist group that styles itself the New IRA was responsible for the murder.
The suspect was detained in Londonderry on Wednesday under the provisions of the Terrorism Act.
He has been taken to Musgrave Police Station in Belfast for questioning.
Officers also conducted a search of a house in Derry on Wednesday.
Last month, police found the handgun used to kill Ms Mckee.
The Hammerli X-esse .22 pistol was discovered during searches in the Ballymagroarty area of Derry.
In February, a 52-year-old man appeared in court in the city charged with the author’s murder.
Meanwhile, a new parliamentary report on national security arrangements in Northern Ireland has expressed hope that Ms Mckee’s death could help accelerate the pace of change towards a normal society.
It was contained in a written ministerial statement made in the House of Commons yesterday, in a summary of a report by former Old Bailey judge Brian Barker QC, the Independent Reviewer of National Security Arrangements in Northern Ireland, covering 2019.
He wrote: “The tragic killing of Lyra Mckee has robbed Northern Ireland of a ‘rising star’ — someone who also believed passionately in social and religious tolerance; but her death generated widespread anger and condemnation of the activities of terrorists.
“One of her legacies hopefully will be an acceleration along the slow road to normalisation.”