Two men arrested in shooting death of journalist Lyra McKee, police say

Two teenagers were arrested in connection with the shooting death of journalist Lyra McKee, the BBC reported Saturday.

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The men, who are 18 and 19, were arrested under the Terrorism Act, according to officials with the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

 

McKee, 29, was hit by a bullet as she was observing rioting in Londonderry on Thursday night, the BBC reported. The journalist and author from Belfast was taken in a police vehicle to a hospital, where she died shortly afterward, The Irish Times reported.

Update 8:23 a.m. EDT April 20: Politicians in Northern Ireland called for calm Saturday after the shooting death of journalist Lyra McKee, as concerns increased about the stability of the region's 21-year-old peace deal, Reuters reported.

“Lyra’s murder was an attack on all the people of this community, an attack on the peace and on the democratic processes,” leaders of the main six parties said in a statement. “This is a time for calm heads.”

Update 4:58 a.m. EDT April 20: According to the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the two men have not been identified or charged, The Washington Post reported. Police said earlier there was one gunman, who had been backed by an "organization," and said they were searching for multiple suspects, the newspaper reported.

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