Northern Ireland

Man arrested in Fermanagh officer attack

Rosscah View off the Crevenish Road Kesh where an officer was targeted by a masked man.
Rosscah View off the Crevenish Road Kesh where an officer was targeted by a masked man. Rosscah View off the Crevenish Road Kesh where an officer was targeted by a masked man.

A POLICE officer targeted in a late night gun attack will now have to leave his Fermanagh home.

Within hours of the incident, a 37-year-old man was arrested and is being questioned on suspicion of attempted murder

The officer was at home near Kesh when he heard movement at the front of his property at around 2am on Thursday and opened the door to investigate.

He was then confronted by a masked man with a shotgun.

The suspect, described as being dressed entirely in black, fled on foot across nearby fields, close to a football club.

Mark Lindsay, chairman of the Police Federation, said the man pointed the gun at the officer and tried to fire but "for some reason" the gun did not go off.

Criminal elements from the area, who have been coming under increasing scrutiny, with an increase in policing along with border in recent months are one line of enquiry.

It is believed the officer, who is from a well known local family, was himself able to provide assistance to police in relation to potential suspects for the attack.

He has now been advised to leave the property for his own safety.

Speaking on Friday, Detective Chief Inspector Julie Mullan confirmed that a man had been arrested in the Fermanagh area "on suspicion of attempted murder".

"He is currently in custody assisting us with our enquiries. We are keeping an open mind at this stage of our investigation, but I firmly believe that organised criminal elements were responsible for this reckless act," she said.

"Those responsible targeted a local police officer serving the local community.

"We continue to appeal to the community to contact police with any information regarding either suspicious persons or vehicles present in the Rosscah/ Crevenish Road area" at around 2am on Thursday.

"No matter how small the detail may be, it may be crucial in our investigation so please contact 101 quoting reference number 126 02/01/20."

In recent months, the PSNI has pledged to put more officers on the ground along the border after accusations that many areas were "lawless" with no visible community policing.

Since the kidnapping of businessman Kevin Lunney some distance away in Derrylin Co Fermanagh there has been an increase in police patrols along the Fermanagh border targetting organised criminals and smuggling gangs who operate in the area.