A 57-year-old woman has been arrested over the murder of Northern Ireland journalist Lyra McKee, police said Tuesday.
“Major Investigation Team detectives have arrested a 57-year-old woman under the Terrorism Act in connection with the murder of Lyra McKee,” police said in a tweet.
On Monday,a dissident Republican group purporting to be the New IRA admitted responsibility for the killing of McKee during rioting last week and apologized to her family, according to The Irish News, which published the statement from the group on Monday.
In a statement to The Irish News using what the newspaper described as a “recognized codeword,” the group said: “In the course of attacking the enemy, Lyra McKee was tragically killed while standing beside enemy forces.”
“The IRA offer our full and sincere apologies to the partner, family and friends of Lyra McKee for her death,” the statement said. “We have instructed our volunteers to take the utmost care in future when engaging the enemy and put in place measures to help ensure this.”
According to The Irish News, the purported New IRA statement was signed with the name “T O’Neill.”
CNN has not independently verified the authenticity of the statement and has reached out the Police Service of Northern Ireland for comment.
Investigation
Prior to the alleged admission, police had blamed the New IRA for McKee’s death.
