Eleven people arrested in probe into attempted murder of senior police detective

Eleven people have been arrested by police investigating the attempted murder of a senior detective in Northern Ireland.

PSNI Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell was shot multiple times at a sports complex in Omagh, Co Tyrone in February in an attack linked to dissident republicans.

Nine men and two women, aged between 21 and 72 years old, were arrested on Friday morning under the Terrorism Act in Omagh and Coalisland in Co Tyrone.

The PSNI said it had carried out a “significant search and arrest operation”.

The suspects have been taken to the PSNI’s serious crime suite in Musgrave police station in Belfast for questioning.

Mr Caldwell was seriously injured after he was shot several times at the sports centre after coaching a youth football team.

His son had been with him as he loaded footballs into the boot of his car when the gunmen approached.

Earlier this week the senior detective attended a garden party in Co Down with the King and Queen.

The event was the first time Mr Caldwell had appeared in public since the attack.

It is understood that he had a private audience with the King ahead of the event.

Camilla also spent some minutes speaking with Mr Caldwell during the garden party at Hillsborough Castle.