London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 17, 2026

Omagh police shooting: Sixth man, aged 71, arrested

Omagh police shooting: Sixth man, aged 71, arrested

Police investigating the attempted murder of Det Ch Insp John Caldwell have arrested a sixth man.

The 71-year-old was arrested in Omagh on Saturday under the Terrorism Act.

Det Ch Insp Caldwell was shot multiple times in front of his young son at a sports complex in Omagh, County Tyrone, after coaching under-15s at football.

Earlier, detectives were given more time to question four men already held in connection with Wednesday evening's shooting.

A court in Belfast granted an extension to the detention of the suspects, aged 22, 38, 45 and 47, until 22:00 GMT on Tuesday.

They and another man, aged 43, remain in custody having been arrested on Thursday and Friday in the Omagh and Coalisland areas of County Tyrone.

Det Ch Insp Caldwell is critically ill in hospital following the attack.

Policing representative body the Police Federation for Northern Ireland said he had suffered life-changing injuries.

On Saturday more than 1,000 people took part in a walk and a rally to show support for the senior Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer who was off duty when he was shot.

Many attending the rally held posters which said "no going back! Unite against paramilitary violence".

People took part in a rally outside Omagh Courthouse


The PSNI's main line of inquiry is that dissident republican group the New IRA was responsible for shooting the 48-year-old in the car park of the Youth Sport Omagh site.

Dissident republicans oppose the 1998 Good Friday Agreement peace deal and continue to use violence to attempt to unite Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland.

Det Ch Insp Caldwell's football club, Beragh Swifts FC, organised the walk.

The route from Beragh Swifts FC to Beragh Red Knights GAA club was short but significant - Constable Ronan Kerr was a member of the GAA club when he was murdered in 2011.

A security alert is ongoing in Beragh after a suspicious object was found on Dervahroy Road


On Saturday afternoon, after the walk, police confirmed that a security alert was ongoing in the Beragh area after a suspicious object was found on Dervahroy Road.

The PSNI said it was too early to speculate on whether the events were linked.

The rally, which was organised by trade unionists, was held after the walk on Saturday morning, near the site of a 1998 bombing which was the single most deadly atrocity in Northern Ireland's Troubles, killing 29 people.

The bombing was carried out by dissident republican group the Real IRA.

People gathered in Omagh in protest against violence


'Hit everybody hard'


Beragh Red Knights GAA club coach Celine Curran said the attack on Det Ch Insp Caldwell has "affected the community as a whole in Beragh".

"It's really hit everybody very hard," she told BBC News NI.

Carmel Quinn and Celine Curran are both Beragh Red Knights coaches


"We're all coaches at the end of the day. We're all parents at the end of the day.

"Our children go to Youth Sport as well - it's got nothing to do with religion.

"We are here in support of a father who was doing a coaching job and a son who has witnessed something life-changing."

Bovelle Hamilton, who has known John since he was a boy, says the turnout was amazing


Bovelle Hamilton has known Det Ch Insp Caldwell since he was eight years old and came to show support to him and his family.

"We are absolutely shocked at what happened to him," she said.

Geoffrey Irwin also took part in the walk.

He said: "I know John personally, I went to primary school with him and also high school in Omagh."

He added that John was "very dedicated" to the club and gave up his free time to volunteer.

Geoffrey Irwin went to school with the senior detective


On Friday, the leaders of Northern Ireland's five main political parties presented a united front with PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne.

Mr Byrne said it was a significant show of solidarity that showed the "sheer sense of outrage at this pointless and senseless attack".


Investigations ongoing


Police believe the gunmen made off in a small, dark car, which was found burnt out at Racolpa Road, outside Omagh.


An Garda Síochána (police in the Republic of Ireland) continue to work closely with the PSNI after the shooting, a spokesperson said.

Gardaí previously said it had intensified patrolling in border counties following the attack.

It added that it would provide the PSNI with assistance as required as the investigation continues.

Last March, the the threat level posed by dissident republican terrorism in Northern Ireland was lowered from severe to substantial for the first time in 12 years.

The decision to lower the threat level was taken by the Security Service (MI5) after assessing a wide range of information, independently of ministers.

Since 2010 it had been "severe", meaning attacks are highly likely. It is now "substantial", meaning attacks are likely.

The threat level is assessed over a period of time rather than in reaction to one event.

Dt Ch Insp Caldwell has been the senior detective in high-profile inquiries including:

*  The murder of Shane Whitla in a Lurgan park in January

*  The stabbing of Natalie McNally in December

*  The shooting of Lyra McKee, a journalist killed while observing rioting in Derry in 2019 in an attack claimed by the New IRA

*  The 2011 murder of Ronan Kerr by dissident republicans, the most recent fatal attack on a police officer in Northern Ireland

He had received a number of threats in the past, BBC News NI understands, and was aware his investigations of dissident republican attacks made him a high-profile target.

He continued to carry out his activities as a football coach and whether that was a pattern that aided the targeting of him is of course a matter for the investigation.

The last gun attack on a PSNI officer was in January 2017.

The PSNI officer was hit by automatic gunfire at a petrol station in north Belfast.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Sarah Ferguson Reportedly Retreats to Late Ex-Boyfriend's Swiss Chalet
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez Sign Prenup Protecting Their Separate Fortunes
Thieves Steal Antonello da Messina Renaissance Masterpieces From Sicilian Museum
Better.com Founder Who Fired 900 Employees on Zoom Is Ousted as CEO
Italian Speed Camera Issues Nearly 32,000 Fines in 10 Weeks, Worth More Than €3 Million
AI Manager at San Francisco Store Recommends Firing Human Employee
Google Launches Pixel 11 With Gemini AI at the Center of Its Hardware Strategy
Campaigners Press Government to Strengthen Rights for Four Million Gig Workers
Government Considers Higher Private Rents to Spread Asylum Accommodation Across UK
UK Moves to Protect Historic Pubs From Conversion Into Housing and Offices
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to House of Commons
British Manufacturers Report Rising Cybersecurity Threats Across Industrial Supply Chains
Royal Navy Increases Monitoring of Russian Ships in UK Waters by 25 Percent
England Adds More Than 350 Medical Training Posts to Strengthen NHS Capacity
NHS Waiting Lists Over 52 Weeks Rise by More Than 11,000 Patients
Brent Crude Near $88 Raises Fresh UK Energy Cost Concerns
UK Treasury Warns Prolonged Strait of Hormuz Disruption Could Cut 2027 Growth to 0.3 Percent
UK Economy Grows 0.4 Percent in Second Quarter as Energy and Inflation Risks Persist
UK Heatwave Triggers Emergency Alert as Government Unveils £65 Million Farm Support Package
Reform UK Unveils Plan to Cut Welfare Spending by More Than £50 Billion a Year
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Praised Extinction Rebellion for Doing a 'Great Service'
UK Wildfire Phone Alert Triggers Backlash as Users Switch Off Emergency Warnings
Heathrow Roads Reopen After Burst Water Main Floods Access to Terminals 2 and 3
Former NBA Players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White Say They Will Enter 2027 WNBA Draft
Former Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Found Dead Days After Resigning Amid Plagiarism Row
US Appeals Court Rules AI Agent's Website Actions Are Legally Attributed to the User
France's Constitutional Council Blocks Social Media Ban for Children Under 15
Liechtenstein Changes Royal Succession Rules to Allow Women to Inherit the Throne
Women Allege Rape and Sexual Abuse at British Army College for Teenage Recruits
Minnesota: Two independent investigators posed as Muslims (one wearing a burqa) and showed how they could vote in elections without identification.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Takes Regional Tour to Highlight Local Infrastructure and Environmental Problems
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to the House of Commons
Bank of England Warns Rising Inflation Could Squeeze UK Household Incomes
UK Government Announces £65 Million Aid Package for Farmers Hit by Severe Drought
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Despite Energy Market Pressures
UK Issues Emergency Alert as Severe Wildfires Spread Across England and Wales
UK and Finland Discuss European Defence and Continued Support for Ukraine
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to the House of Commons
UK Government Deploys Military to Help Fight Wildfires and Bans Disposable Barbecues
UK Records Hottest Day of the Year as Fifth Summer Heatwave Peaks in Southern England
UK Condemns Houthi Actions and Warns of Red Sea Threat to Global Trade
UK and Solomon Islands Open Wildlife Photography Exhibition in Honiara
UK Small Businesses Face Continued Cash Flow and Tax Pressures
Greatham Marsh Restoration Restores Tidal Wetland in Hartlepool After More Than 200 Years
UK Health Regulator Urges University Students to Check Meningitis and Measles Vaccination Status
Mining Remediation Authority Completes Major Ground Stabilization Works in Scottish Community
UK Food Crime Investigators Seize 33 Tonnes of Illegal Food in Multi-Agency Operation
Technical Qualification Uptake Hits Record High as Advanced Mathematics Results Improve
UK Summer Temperatures on Course to Challenge Long-Standing Records, Met Office Says
UK Farmers Bring Forward Cereal Harvests as Drought Threatens Yields
×