2 Teens Arrested in Killing of Journalist

Lyra McKee was shot during rioting in Northern Ireland
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 20, 2019 7:01 AM CDT
2 Teens Arrested in Killing of Journalist
This undated family photo shows journalist Lyra McKee.   (Family photo/PSNI via AP)

Two teenagers in Northern Ireland are under arrest in connection with the killing of rising young journalist Lyra McKee, reports the BBC. The unidentified suspects in the 29-year-old's death are 18 and 19. A gunman fatally shot McKee during rioting in the city of Londonderry Thursday night in what police are calling a "terrorist act." She had been standing with other civilians near police vehicles, and authorities suspect the shooter was firing at police. Earlier, they released video of the alleged masked gunman. The unrest in Londonderry revolves around the decades-long unrest in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles, and the latest escalation is being linked to tensions over Brexit, reports CNN.

The coming of Brexit raises the possibility that hard borders will once again be put in place between Northern Ireland, which belongs to the UK, and the rest of Ireland, which is in the European Union. The possibility is inflaming tensions among hard-liners who think Northern Ireland belongs to Ireland and who reject the 1998 Good Friday peace accord in which the Irish Republican Army accepted a political solution to the issue, per the AP. A splinter group known as the New IRA is being blamed for Thursday's rioting. "Heartbroken by the murder of Lyra McKee," tweeted Bill Clinton, whose administration helped broker the 1998 agreement. "We cannot let go of the last 21 years of hard-won peace and progress." Vigils were taking place Saturday in honor of McKee, who was an advocate for LGBT issues. (More Northern Ireland stories.)

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