Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Cop Gunned Down in Northern Ireland

By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 9, 2009 8:36 PM CDT

(Newser) – A police officer was killed in Northern Ireland tonight amid renewed tensions with suspected Irish Republican terrorists, the Guardian reports. Responding to a call on a private manor southwest of Belfast, one officer was fatally shot in the head and another injured. The Real IRA, which claimed responsibility for killing two soldiers this weekend, has recently tried to kill several other police officers.

Politicians of all stripes condemned tonight's killing. A local Sinn Féin member urged the community to support police, while a nationalist assembly member said they were "staring into the abyss... we are on the brink of something absolutely awful." A party leader supporting a local terror group called for calm: "The perpetrators will not be allowed to damage our peace process," he said.

A police Service of Northern Ireland officer aims his rifle as he takes up position near Lismore Manor, Craigavon, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, March, 10,2009.
A police Service of Northern Ireland officer aims his rifle as he takes up position near Lismore Manor, Craigavon, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, March, 10,2009.   (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
A Police Service of Northern Ireland police Officer, seen, on security patrol, outside Massereene British Army Base, Antrim, Northern Ireland, Monday, March, 9, 2009.
A Police Service of Northern Ireland police Officer, seen, on security patrol, outside Massereene British Army Base, Antrim, Northern Ireland, Monday, March, 9, 2009.   (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
Mark Quinsey, one of two soldiers killed in Northern Ireland this weekend, stands with his mother, left, and sister, right.
Mark Quinsey, one of two soldiers killed in Northern Ireland this weekend, stands with his mother, left, and sister, right.   (AP Photo/Ministry of Defence, PA)
Cengiz Azimkar, one of the two soldiers killed in an attack at Massareene Barracks, in Antrim, Northern Ireland, on Saturday night.
Cengiz Azimkar, one of the two soldiers killed in an attack at Massareene Barracks, in Antrim, Northern Ireland, on Saturday night.   (AP Photo/Ministry of Defence, PA)
A man looks at flowers, left outside the Massereene British Army Base, Antrim, Northern Ireland, Monday, March, 9, 2009.
A man looks at flowers, left outside the Massereene British Army Base, Antrim, Northern Ireland, Monday, March, 9, 2009.   (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
A Police Service of Northern Ireland officer aims his rifle as he takes up position near Lismore Manor, Craigavon, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, March, 10, 2009.
A Police Service of Northern Ireland officer aims his rifle as he takes up position near Lismore Manor, Craigavon, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, March, 10, 2009.   (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

More Newser Stories

IRA Falsely Blamed in 1971 Belfast Bombing

'Real IRA' Claims It Killed 2 UK Soldiers

Major Northern Ireland Militia Renounces Violence

IRA Bomb Linked to Gadhafi Regime

UK, Catholic Church Colluded on Bomb Cover-Up


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne