Man and teen held in PSNI shooting probe
The attack was claimed yesterday by the Continuity IRA, a dissident republican group and came just two days after a rival terrorist faction, the Real IRA, killed two British soldiers in Antrim.
The youth was arrested during police searches of Craigavon’s Ardowen housing estate at 3.30pm yesterday, the older suspect an hour-and-a-half later in the adjacent Drumbeg area. At the scene of the young man’s arrest his mother stated he was being “unfairly” targeted by police and was not “politically involved”. The young man’s Citroen Saxo car was also removed for forensic tests.
Constable Carroll died when he was shot in the back of the head as police responded to a call from a member of the public in the Lismore Manor housing estate. He was with two PSNI officers providing support to colleagues investigating a broken window. In a coded message, the Continuity IRA stated the murder had been carried out by its north Armagh battalion. It said: “As long as there is British involvement in Ireland, these attacks will continue.” Police yesterday carried out a series of raids in the Craigavon area targeting those suspected of being involved in Constable Carroll’s killing
PSNI chief constable Hugh Orde said: “We are used to being attacked, but we will not step back. It is a sad day for the Police Service of Northern Ireland.” He added: “Let me be very clear on a couple of things. First of all, this will not put off me or my officers delivering the service we do to the communities we are paid to protect. That will continue unrelenting as it has done in the threat that we have been facing for nine to 12 months.”
Constable Carroll was married and a grandfather. He was from the Banbridge area in Co Down, but had previously lived in the Republic.
