Breaking Two men charged in connection with shooting of senior PSNI detective
PSNI Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell was shot multiple times at a sports complex in Omagh, Co Tyrone, in February 2023.
The charges follow their arrests and subsequent detention under the Terrorism Act yesterday.
A 45-year-old man, arrested in the Stewartstown area and a man aged 25, arrested in west Belfast, have both been charged with the Preparation of Terrorist Acts and Perverting the Course of Justice.
They are due to appear at Dungannon Magistrates' Court tomorrow morning.
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Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Stephen Brannigan remembered as ‘kind and thoughtful' person at funeral
A man found dead in Co Down has been remembered at his funeral as a 'kind and thoughtful' person who helped others. The body of Stephen Brannigan, 56, was found in a house in Marian Park in Downpatrick on the afternoon of Sunday August 10. On the same day, Father John Murray was attacked at St Patrick's Church in the town. A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of Mr Brannigan and attempted murder of Fr Murray. Mr Brannigan's funeral mass took place at St Brigid's Church, Downpatrick, on Saturday. Stephen Brannigan was found dead in a house in Downpatrick (PSNI/PA) The service was attended by his family members, neighbours, public representatives and emergency service workers. In a homily, Fr Timothy Bartlett said the community had been left 'numb, dazed, and brokenhearted' following the events of the previous weekend. He said: 'Last Sunday, as news of the tragic events of Stephen's murder, and Fr John's attempted murder, began to break, what a very different, what a shocking and very brutal world confronted us.' He said Mr Brannigan lived a life marked by a 'remarkable kindness'. The funeral heard one of his hobbies was flying planes online 'often into the early hours of the morning' and that he was being buried in the new, as yet unreleased, third kit of his 'beloved Liverpool Football Club'. 'So, if there is a kit clash in heaven today, Stephen will be unmistakable as a definite Liverpool FC man. I am sure he would be very pleased about that.' The coffin is carried in to the funeral of Stephen Brannigan (Mark Marlow/PA) Fr Bartlett said Mr Brannigan would 'be the first to admit' he was not a 'perfect human being'. However, he added: 'The more recent years of his life were marked by a remarkable kindness, a gentle neighbourliness and a deep love for those who were close to him. 'Yes, Stephen literally went around this historic town of Downpatrick doing good, often quietly, with no fuss and no expectation of return. Stephen loved and Stephen was loved.' Fr Bartlett said Mr Brannigan and his late wife Dorenda's greatest joy in life were their daughters Ciara and Gemma, and through them their 'beloved grandchildren' Sophie, Lily, Conor, Clodagh, Holly and Ruairi. He also read out tributes from Mr Brannigan's grandchildren, who remembered him as 'the best granddad' who he had 'spoiled' them – and made a great shepherd's pie. He called on those gathered to remember the words of You'll Never Walk Alone, adding: 'As we say our earthly farewell, we say to you Stephen, 'walk on'.' The order of service for the funeral of Stephen Brannigan (Mark Marlow/PA) In relation to Fr Murray, Fr Bartlett said the hearts of the community were broken that 'such a gentle and prayerful man should have been subjected' to attack. 'As you continue to recover in hospital, we send you our love, our thoughts and our prayers.' Fr Bartlett also criticised a 'disease of unease and anxiety that is paralysing' society in Northern Ireland, adding that services which previously provided a culture of safety and respect are 'under-resourced and broke'. He said: 'Am I the only who feels that there is growing culture of aggression and violence creeping like a cancer through the bones of our families, our towns and our society, in which nothing and no-one is sacred any more? 'Am I the only one who yearns for a little more gentleness, a little more civility, a little more courtesy, a little more neighbourliness and community, and a little more compassion and care?' Fr Bartlett said it was time to ask hard questions about how to address violence in society, questioning why a civic forum envisaged under the Good Friday Agreement should be convened. Hugh Malone, 30, of no fixed address but from the Belfast area, appeared via videolink from Musgrave police station at Newtownards Magistrates' Court on Wednesday charged with the murder of Mr Brannigan and the attempted murder of Fr Murray.
RTÉ News
5 hours ago
- RTÉ News
PSNI warns protesters over Palestine Action support
Police have warned protesters carrying placards or wearing clothing showing support for Palestine Action at demonstrations in Northern Ireland that they may be committing an offence. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Anthony McNally urged anyone taking part in protests this weekend in the region to ensure they act within the law. Last weekend, a 74-year-old woman was arrested for wearing a Palestine Action T-shirt in Belfast at an anti-racism rally. Palestine Action was proscribed by the UK Government in July, with the ban meaning that membership of, or support for, the group is a criminal offence under the Terrorism Act 2000. More than 500 people were arrested last weekend on suspicion of displaying an item in support of a proscribed group as demonstrations took place in central London. Mr McNally said: "The right to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly are fundamental human rights. "They are protected in law and allow individuals to engage in peaceful protest. "However, these rights are limited by the need to uphold the rights of others, protect public health and safety, minimise disruption to normal life and by the need to prevent and detect crime." The senior officer said the PSNI would facilitate "lawful, peaceful protest". He added: "We will be in attendance at several protests this weekend to ensure the safety of everyone present. "If we identify potential criminal offences or unacceptable impact on the rights of others, we will take lawful and proportionate action. "If an offence is suspected we will record evidence eg by way of handheld or vehicle mounted-cameras and where possible warn persons suspected of committing an offence. "We may arrest and detain anyone suspected of committing an offence. Ultimately, the decision on whether to prosecute will rest with the Public Prosecution Service." Mr McNally pointed out that Palestine Action is proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000. He said: "This has no impact on other groups' or individuals' right to protest about Gaza, but anyone showing support for Palestine Action, including with placards or messages on clothing, may be committing an offence. "I would urge everyone to consider the seriousness of a prosecution under the Terrorism Act and the very real long-term implications this could have on their future." The 74-year-old woman arrested in Belfast last weekend was later released pending a report to the Public Prosecution Service. She had been wearing a T-shirt which said "We are all Palestine Action". Amnesty International has called on the PSNI to "uphold people's right to protest against the genocide being perpetrated in Gaza". Northern Ireland director Patrick Corrigan said: "The police must be clear that they have obligations under the Human Rights Act and international law to facilitate the right to peaceful protest. "Carrying out arrests for peaceful expression on this issue would be a violation of international human rights law. "Instead of criminalising peaceful demonstrators, the UK Government should be focusing on taking immediate action to put a stop to Israel's genocide."
Irish Times
14 hours ago
- Irish Times
Sally Rooney: I support Palestine Action. If this makes me a ‘supporter of terror' under UK law, so be it
On Saturday, August 9th, UK police arrested more than 500 peaceful protesters on suspicion of terror offences. The vast majority of these arrests took place on Parliament Square, London , where Irish citizens such as Sinéad Ní Shiacáis, from Limerick, were among those detained, but in Belfast too, a woman was arrested by the PSNI. These protesters were not engaged in any violent acts, nor were they promoting any violence against any living creatures at all. And yet they may now face life-altering terror charges, some of which could result in up to 14 years in prison. Why? Because, with a full understanding of the consequences, these brave individuals chose to express support for the protest group Palestine Action. Since its foundation in 2020, Palestine Action has primarily organised direct-action protests against weapons manufacturers: defacing buildings, breaking windows and occupying factories. This summer, as the UK continued to offer material and diplomatic support for the ongoing genocide in Gaza , activists broke into an RAF airbase and used spray-paint to vandalise two aircraft. The Government responded by proscribing Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, placing the group on the same legal footing as al-Qaeda and Islamic State. The group's cofounder, Huda Ammori, is now rightly fighting this designation in the courts, but in the meantime, any expression of support for Palestine Action, even a simple placard or T-shirt, constitutes a serious terror offence under UK law. Meanwhile, the Irish Government – along with virtually every humanitarian organisation worldwide – has recognised that Israel is committing genocide in Palestine . Genocide is the gravest of international crimes and, for most of us, quite aside from any legal framework, the most abhorrent wrong imaginable. Under the Genocide Convention, to which both Ireland and the UK are signatories, nation states have a duty not only to punish but also to prevent the commission of this incomparably horrifying crime. Activists who disrupt the flow of weapons to a genocidal regime may violate petty criminal statutes, but they uphold a far greater law and a more profound human imperative: to protect a people and culture from annihilation. But while Irish citizens – including potentially here on the island of Ireland – are accused of terrorism for protesting an acknowledged genocide, the Irish Government has so far remained silent. When our citizens are arrested under authoritarian regimes elsewhere, the State and its consular services tend to spring into action, or at least purport to, in order to defend the human rights of Irish passport holders. Now that the jurisdiction in question is located next door – and indeed closer still – our leaders seem curiously unwilling to act. If the Government in Dublin truly believes that Israel is committing genocide, how can it look elsewhere while its nearest neighbour funds and supports that genocide and its own citizens are arrested simply for speaking out? READ MORE Sally Rooney: 'The ramifications for cultural and intellectual life in the UK will be profound' The arrest of a protester in Belfast surely represents a particularly egregious example of political policing. When a storm damaged an infamous loyalist mural in north Belfast last year, rebuilding commenced immediately, and the wall is now once again emblazoned with the iconography of the Ulster Volunteer Force. No arrests were made on that basis, nor has the mural been taken down, though the UVF is a proscribed terrorist organisation responsible for the murders of hundreds of civilians. Palestine Action, proscribed under the same law, is responsible for zero deaths and has never advocated the use of violence against any human being. Why then are its supporters arrested for wearing T-shirts, while murals celebrating loyalist death squads are left untouched? Can the PSNI explain this demonstrably selective enforcement of anti-terror law? Perhaps the British state should investigate the shady organisations that continue to promote my work and fund my activities, such as WH Smith and the BBC While protesters are labelled terrorists in the UK, Palestinian civilians are, of course, labelled terrorists by Israeli forces. But where UK protesters face trumped-up charges and prison sentences, Palestinians face violent death. Last weekend Israeli forces assassinated a team of Al Jazeera reporters in Gaza, including the renowned journalist Anas al-Sharif , whose work with Reuters was awarded the Pulitzer Prize last year. Rather than denying responsibility for this appalling war crime, Israel openly took credit for the assassination, claiming – with no credible evidence – that Anas al-Sharif, an accomplished and beloved reporter, was in fact a 'terrorist'. This claim, though baseless, has been repeated widely in western media in the days since. Once the special word 'terrorist' is invoked, it seems, all laws melt into air and everything is permitted. In this context I feel obliged to state once more that – like the hundreds of protesters arrested last weekend – I too support Palestine Action. If this makes me a 'supporter of terror' under UK law, so be it. My books, at least for now, are still published in Britain, and are widely available in bookshops and even supermarkets. In recent years the UK's state broadcaster has also televised two fine adaptations of my novels, and therefore regularly pays me residual fees. I want to be clear that I intend to use these proceeds of my work, as well as my public platform generally, to go on supporting Palestine Action and direct action against genocide in whatever way I can. If the British state considers this 'terrorism', then perhaps it should investigate the shady organisations that continue to promote my work and fund my activities, such as WH Smith and the BBC. Protesters in London last weekend. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/EPA To ensure that the British public is made aware of my position, I would happily publish this statement in a UK newspaper – but that would now be illegal. The present UK Government has willingly stripped its own citizens of basic rights and freedoms, including the right to express and read dissenting opinions, in order to protect its relationship with Israel. The ramifications for cultural and intellectual life in the UK – where the eminent poet Alice Oswald has already been arrested, and an increasing number of artists and writers can no longer safely travel to Britain to speak in public – are and will be profound. But as Sinéad Ní Shiacáis said after her arrest last weekend: 'We are not the story; the Palestinian people are the story. They are begging people to give them a voice.' Palestine Action has been among the strongest of those voices in the UK, taking direct steps to halt the seemingly unstoppable machinery of violence. We owe their courageous activists our gratitude and solidarity. And by now, almost two years into a live-streamed genocide, we owe the people of Palestine more than mere words. Sally Rooney is a novelist
