New IRA admits police shooting

THE New IRA has seemingly admitted responsibility for the attempted murder of a high-profile policeman in Northern Ireland.

Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell was left fighting for his life after he was shot in front of his 12-year-old son outside a sports centre in Omagh.

The off-duty officer was hit up to four times as masked assailants fired indiscriminately as they chased him across a car park last Wednesday.

Their bullets hit cars and only just missed parents and children.

On Sunday night, a typed message appeared on a wall in Londonderry signed by ‘T O’Neill’ – a name used by the dissident terrorist group in the past – which made the claimed admission to what it termed a ‘military operation’.

Six men, aged 22, 38, 43, 45, 47 and 71, have been arrested over the shooting.

Hundreds of people took to the streets of Omagh at the weekend to ‘fight for a better future’ and stand in solidarity with DCI Caldwell.