On Wednesday, an off-duty PSNI officer was seriously injured in a shooting that occurred in Omagh, Tyrone.
The officer, who has been named as John Caldwell, was hit multiple times at the sports club Youth Sport Omagh in front of a children's football coaching session. He is currently in a critical but stable condition.
The officer was reportedly putting footballs into the boot of his vehicle when he was approached and shot by masked men. Police officers in Northern Ireland say that the primary focus of detectives is currently on the dissident republican group the New IRA.
READ MORE: Man charged with murder of 19-year-old Conor O'Brien in Co Meath
Who are the New IRA and what distinguishes them from previous iterations of the IRA? Here is everything you need to know.
Who are the New IRA?
Founded between 2011 and 2012, the New Irish Republican Army (or New IRA as it is sometimes referred to) formed after various Irish republican paramilitary groups merged.
The group itself is a combination of the Republican Action Against Drugs (RAAD), the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA) and other smaller groups.
Origin of group
In July 2012, various media outlets reported that the different republican groups listed would merge together to become a new organisation. According to the Guardian, the Continuity IRA was left outside of the new group.
"Following extensive consultations, Irish republicans and a number of organisations involved in armed actions against the armed forces of the British crown have come together within a unified structure, under a single leadership, subservient to the constitution of the Irish Republican Army,” a statement released at the time of the groups founding said.
Following the merging of the groups, the term New IRA began to be used by the media and it became popularised as the term for the group.
How many members?
While the exact membership of the group is unknown, however, it has been estimated that around 250 and 300 people are in the group, according to the PSNI - as quoted by the site Belfast Child.
Alleged incidents
The group has claimed responsibility for multiple incidents which resulted in several lives being lost. According to Belfast Live, the group has been linked to incidents such as the murder of PSNI officer Ronan Kerr in 2011, prison officer David Black in 2012, prison officer Adrian Ismay in 2016 and the 2019 murder of journalist Lyra McKee.
They have also claimed responsibility for the attempted murder of a police officer after an unexploded bomb was found under the officer's car in Belfast.
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