Journalist killed during riots in Northern Ireland

Last night in Northern Ireland, a journalist, Lyra McKee (29), was shot and killed. Police are blaming the New Irish Republican Army (NIRA). The U.K. and the U.S. consider NIRA a terrorist organization.

Yesterday before the shooting, police searched an area for guns and explosives because they were concerned about an attack during the Easter weekend.

During the searches, there was a riot with about 50 gasoline bombs thrown.

A gunman started firing toward the police and hit McKee, who was killed.

McKee wrote blogs and a book about growing up gay in Northern Ireland. She was an activist for LGBT rights. She is also an investigative journalist and wrote a book, to be published next year, about the history of IRA and disappearances of young people during the Troubles.

The NIRA is a small group of people in Northern Ireland who use violence to try and force their country to break away from the U.K. and join the Republic of Ireland.

The “old” IRA fought with violence for decades during an era known as “The Troubles” where more than 3,500 people died.

The conflicts were mainly between Catholic nationalists, who wanted independence from the UK, and Protestant unionists, who agreed with staying within the UK. In 1998, they agreed to a peace deal with the British-controlled government called the Good Friday Agreement.

The New IRA is made up of a group of people who didn’t agree with the peace deal and have been more active the last few years, especially after the Northern Ireland government stopped functioning two years ago and during the Brexit process.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/19/world/europe/lyra-mckee-northern-ireland-violence.html

https://twitter.com/PSNIDCSDistrict/status/1119023697594068992

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Irish-Republican-Army

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-47985469

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/04/19/lyra-mckee-journalist-shot-dead-northern-ireland-new-ira/3517762002/