A 44-year-old man was charged on Friday February 9 with attempted murder of a police officer in Northern Ireland in 2023, the Northern Irish police announced, an act which was unanimously condemned by the political class.
On February 22, 2023, two men shot several times at John Caldwell, a police officer who has been a member of the force for 26 years.
Seriously injured, the police officer, who was not on duty at the time of the incident, spent two months in hospital.
Claimed by the new IRA
The attack, claimed by the New IRA (Irish Republican Army), a dissident republican group, occurred while John Caldwell was coaching children, including his son, in football at a sports complex in Omagh.
The 44-year-old suspect was arrested on Thursday and charged on Friday with
"attempted murder, directing terrorist activities and preparing terrorist acts"
, Northern Irish police said in a statement.
He will be presented to a judge on Saturday morning.
Around ten people were arrested and previously charged in connection with this attempted murder, which had aroused unanimous disapproval among the British political class.
“There is absolutely no tolerance for such attacks by the enemies of our peace
,” the leaders of the five Northern Irish political parties jointly declared.