Police recover gun of same type used to kill Lyra McKee in Northern Ireland
The handgun was found along with a fully primed bomb and ammunition in an area where police say children often play.
Sunday 7 June 2020 17:21, UK
Police have found a gun of the same type and calibre used to murder journalist Lyra McKee.
The firearm was discovered along with a fully primed bomb and ammunition near a residential area, said the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
It said the weapons were suspected of belonging to the New IRA.
In a statement, the PSNI added the handgun was going to be forensically examined to determine whether it was the weapon used to kill the 29-year-old journalist.
Ms McKee died after being shot in the head on 18 April last year while covering riots on the Creggan housing estate in Londonderry.
The New IRA confirmed it was responsible for her death and issued an apology to Ms McKee's "partner, family and friends".
A 52-year-old man was charged in February with her murder in Derry.
According to the PSNI statement, the weapons were found by police and military personnel searching an area of more than 38 acres of land on Friday and Saturday.
"This operation was designed specifically to find items we believed were being stored by violent dissident republicans in the Ballymagroarty area and which posed a serious and imminent risk to the community," said chief superintendent Emma Bond.
"We were able to locate and safely remove a command-wire initiated bomb, a handgun and a quantity of ammunition," added Ms Bond, who is the Derry City and Strabane District Commander.
"A strong line of enquiry is that these munitions belong to the New IRA. They have now been seized and will be subject to rigorous forensic examination in the coming days and weeks," she added.
"Whilst we regard this as an encouraging line of enquiry, I will repeat that we cannot definitively say at this time whether or not this is the murder weapon. That determination will be guided by the forensics."
The weapons were stored close to a populated area and on land where children were known to play, something which the PSNI said underlined "the total lack of regard these violent terrorist criminals have for their own communities".
Ms Bond said: "These people are so singularly focused on murdering police officers that they do not care if others - men, women, children, families - are caught up in their evil plots. The community is simply collateral damage.
"Support and information from the local community is vital to fighting the scourge of terrorism. Anything you know, or anything you have seen - share that information with us and help us put these criminals out of business.
"You can call us on 101, 999 in an emergency or information can be given to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."