Men charged with attempted murder of DCI John Caldwell in Omagh attack

Seven men have been charged with the attempted murder of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell.

Two men are 28, the others are aged 33, 38, 45, 47 and 72.

Two of the men, aged 38 and 45, have also been charged with membership of a proscribed organisation, namely the IRA.

Three of the men, aged 28, 33 and 47, have also been charged with preparation of terrorist acts.

All seven men are expected to appear before Dungannon Magistrates’ Court via video link on Monday 29 May.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris welcomed the development and thanked police for their efforts.

As is usual procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service. DCI Caldwell was shot several times as he packed his car with his son at an Omagh sports complex after taking a coaching session in February.

Police linked dissident republicans and organised crime gangs to the attack.

Mr Caldwell was pictured for the first time in public earlier this week when he attended the Royal garden party at Hillsborough. He met the King during his visit to Northern Ireland.

Earlier on Saturday, four people who were arrested as part of the investigation into the attempted murder were released pending a report to the Public Prosecution Service.

Two men, aged 34 and 21, and two women, aged 52 and 34 - were arrested under the Terrorism Act on Friday.

The PSNI on Friday released images and CCTV footage of a Mercedes C-Class and two Ford Fiestas which are believed to be involved in the attack.

PSNI Detective Chief Superintendent Eamonn Corrigan said a total of 28 arrests had been made to date in the investigation, comprising 21 individuals.

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