Journalist killed in Northern Ireland riots

Police in Northern Ireland on Friday said the New IRA was most likely responsible for the fatal shooting of a journalist during overnight riots in Londonderry. Journalist and author Lyra McKee died after being shot in the Creggan area, according to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. “We believe this to be a terrorist act,” Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said. “We believe it has been carried out by violent dissident republicans.” A gunman fired a number of shots at police during Thursday evening’s unrest, according to Hamilton. Officials have launched a murder investigation but have yet to arrest anyone. Hamilton asked for calm to prevail on Easter weekend. U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May called the death “shocking and truly senseless.”

The New IRA calls for Northern Ireland to unite with Ireland and rejects the 1998 Good Friday agreement that ended years of violence in the region. The group is blamed for a car bombing in January in Londonderry in which no one was injured. Tension has increased in Northern Ireland in recent months, much of it focused in Londonderry.