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Lyra McKee, Northern Ireland Journalist, Killed in ‘Terrorist Incident’ Lyra McKee, Northern Ireland Journalist, Is Killed in ‘Terrorist Incident,’ Police Say
(about 2 hours later)
The police in Northern Ireland said the killing of a journalist who was shot Thursday, during a night of unrest in the city of Londonderry in which gasoline bombs were thrown, was being treated as a “terrorist incident.” The police in Northern Ireland said on Friday that the killing of a journalist who was covering a night of violent unrest in Londonderry was committed by a militant opponent of British rule there.
Mark Hamilton, an assistant chief constable, called the killing of the journalist, 29-year-old Lyra McKee, “‘horrendous and unjustified,” and the police said they had opened a murder investigation after a gunman opened fire in a residential neighborhood. “We are treating this as a terrorist incident, and we have launched a murder inquiry,” Mark Hamilton, an assistant chief constable, said of the fatal shooting of the journalist, Lyra McKee, 29.
Although the police have not ascribed a motive to the outbreak of violence, including the shooting of Ms. McKee, it was an ominous reminder of the sectarian conflict that plagued Northern Ireland until a peace agreement was signed in 1998. “At this stage, we believe her murder was carried out by a violent dissident republican,” he said.
“Our assessment at this time would be that the New I.R.A. are most likely to be the ones behind this,” he added, referring to a militant republican group formed several years ago from the merger of several splinter groups.
Many people in Northern Ireland, primarily Roman Catholics, consider themselves republicans, meaning that they want the region to break away from the United Kingdom and join the Republic of Ireland. But the number who pursue that end through violence is relatively small.
The violence took place in Creggan, a heavily Catholic area of Londonderry — a city that Catholics and republicans generally call Derry — after the police started carrying out searches in the area because of concerns that militant republicans were storing firearms and explosives there.
The searches were followed by a riot in which gasoline bombs were thrown — more than 50, according to the police — and then the attack that killed Ms. McKee. Mr. Hamilton, the assistant chief constable, said she was hit by a gunman firing toward the police.
The outburst of violence was an ominous reminder of the deadly conflict between militant groups of Catholic republicans and Protestant loyalists, who favor remaining part of Britain, that plagued Northern Ireland until a peace agreement was signed in 1998.
“It’s important that we all stand together now and resist any further escalation of this,” Mr. Hamilton said.“It’s important that we all stand together now and resist any further escalation of this,” Mr. Hamilton said.
The shooting took place in Creggan, a heavily Catholic area of Londonderry, after the police started carrying out searches in the area because of concerns that what they called “violent dissident republicans” were storing firearms and explosives there. The searches were then followed by a riot, and then the attack that felled Ms. McKee. In her last Twitter post — which was retweeted by Naomi O’Leary, a friend and fellow journalist — Ms. McKee wrote: “Derry tonight. Absolute madness.”
The violence on Thursday night comes against the backdrop of Britain’s plans to leave the European Union, of which the Republic of Ireland is a member. There are concerns that Britain might leave without any agreement with the bloc, leading to a “hard border” between Ireland and Northern Ireland, with barriers and checkpoints. The violence on Thursday came amid the turmoil caused by Britain’s plans to leave the European Union, a bloc that includes the Republic of Ireland. There are concerns that Britain might leave without any agreement defining its relationship to the union, leading to a “hard border” between Ireland and Northern Ireland, with barriers and checkpoints.
Northern Ireland has not had a functioning government for more than two years, since a power-sharing agreement between its two main parties — one mostly Protestant, the other mainly Catholic — collapsed. Northern Ireland has not had a functioning government for more than two years, since the collapse of a power-sharing agreement between its two main parties — one mostly Protestant, the other mainly Catholic.
The uncertainty surrounding a hard border, along with the political deadlock in Northern Ireland, has in turn raised concerns about a return of violence, especially after several packages that were found last month at the University of Glasgow and three London transport tubs, including Heathrow Airport, that were attributed to a faction of the Irish Republican Army. The Brexit border paradox and the political deadlock in Northern Ireland have, in turn, raised concerns about a resumption of violence, particularly after several packages containing explosives were found last month at the University of Glasgow and three London transport hubs, including Heathrow Airport. The authorities attributed the packages to a splinter group of the Irish Republican Army.
Mr. Hamilton said the police believe Ms. McKee was killed by someone who is sympathetic to the group’s aims. Ms. McKee was an investigative journalist from Belfast who was recognized by Forbes magazine in 2016 as one of its “30 Under 30 Europe” for digging “into topics that others don’t care about.”
Ms. McKee was an investigative journalist from Belfast who had been recognized by Forbes magazine in 2016 as one of its “30 Under 30 Europe” for digging “into topics that others don’t care about.”
She had worked as an editor for the website Mediagazer since 2011 and had written for BuzzFeed News and Mosaic Science.She had worked as an editor for the website Mediagazer since 2011 and had written for BuzzFeed News and Mosaic Science.
“Letter To My 14-Year-Old Self,” an article she wrote about the abuse and support she received growing up gay, was widely read online and made into a short film. “Letter to My 14-Year-Old Self,” an article she wrote about the abuse and support she received while growing up gay, was widely read online and made into a short film.
Ms. McKee grew up on Cliftonville Road in Belfast, near the area that saw some of the worst violence during the Troubles, the three decades of violence that preceded the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which largely brought an end to the conflict. Her work often examined the legacies of that era of tensions between Catholics and Protestants. Ms. McKee grew up on Cliftonville Road in Belfast, near the area that saw some of the worst violence during the three decades of sectarian conflict that came to be known as the Troubles. Her work often examined the legacies of that era, which largely came to an end with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
A local journalist, Leona O’Neill, wrote on Twitter that she was standing beside a woman at the site of the violence Thursday night when the woman fell beside a police vehicle. She said the police immediately put the woman in the back of their vehicle and took her to a hospital. A local journalist, Leona O’Neill, wrote on Twitter that she was standing beside Ms. McKee on Thursday night when Ms. McKee fell. She said the police immediately put her in the back of their vehicle and took her to a hospital.
In her Twitter feed, Ms. O’Neill described people throwing gasoline bombs, bricks and bottles at the police in the Creggan area of the city. Videos showed vehicles on fire. In her Twitter feed, Ms. O’Neill described people throwing gasoline bombs, bricks and bottles at the police in the Creggan area. Videos showed vehicles on fire.
She said people had gathered in the streets after a large number of police officers had begun to search a home in the area. She said people had gathered in the streets after a large number of police officers started searching a home in the area.
After violence erupted, the police appealed for calm.After violence erupted, the police appealed for calm.
The killing happened after Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the city earlier in the day to show support for the peace agreement that the United States helped broker two decades ago. The killing happened the same day that Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the city to show support for the peace agreement that the United States helped broker two decades ago. Ms. Pelosi said it was vital to keep a “seamless border” after Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union.
The prospect that Britain might leave the European Union without an agreement has raised the possibility that a so-called border would be re-established between the Irish Republic and British-governed Northern Ireland, and Ms. Pelosi said it was vital to keep a “seamless border” after Brexit. Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army, and the Democratic Unionist Party condemned the killing of Ms. McKee. Sinn Fein called it an “attack on all the community.”
Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army, and the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party condemned the killing of Ms. McKee. Sinn Fein called it an “attack on all the community.” Ms. McKee wrote a book, “Angels With Blue Faces,” about the 1981 murder of Rev. Robert Bradford, a member of the British Parliament from Belfast.
Ms. McKee is author of a book, “Angels With Blue Faces,” about the 1981 murder of Rev. Robert Bradford, a member of Parliament from Belfast. Last year, she signed a two-book deal with the publishing house Faber & Faber. One of those books, “The Lost Boys,” investigates the disappearances of young men in Belfast in the late 1960s and 1970s, and is scheduled for release next year.
Last year she signed a two-book deal with publishing house Faber & Faber. One of those books investigates the disappearances of young men in Belfast in the late 1960s and 1970s. The book, titled The Lost Boys, was scheduled to come out next year. “McKee has that knack of engaging the head and the heart,” Laura Hassan, the editorial director at Faber, said last year when Ms. McKee’s deal was announced. “The fate of these children is deeply affecting, and we’re engaged too with her argument that these missing children tell us something of a whole lost generation .”
“McKee has that knack of engaging the head and the heart — the fate of these children is deeply affecting and we’re engaged too with her argument that these missing children tell us something of a whole lost generation, that of the ‘cease-fire babies,’” Laura Hassan, editorial director at Faber, said last year.
Her last tweet showed a photo of a crowd of people, police trucks and smoke rising in the distance, with the words, “Derry tonight. Absolute madness”