Police in Derry has announced that there have been six further arrests made in connection with the murder of LGBTQ+ journalist Lyra McKee. The detentions were made on Tuesday, March 15, almost three years after the tragic incident occurred.

Five arrests were made yesterday morning in the Cityside of Derry, with men aged 20, 41, 54, and two 21-year-olds, being brought into police custody under the Terrorism Act. They were taken to the Serious Crime Suite at Musgrave Police Station in Belfast for interview, and have since been released pending a report being submitted to the Public Prosecution Service.

Shortly after 2:00 PM, Derry Police announced that one further arrest had been made, with a 26-year-old man being brought in for questioning.

Five men arrested by detectives investigating the murder of journalist Lyra McKee in April 2019 in Derry/Londonderry, have been released pending a report being submitted to the Public Prosecution Service. pic.twitter.com/raPLAknqxx

— Police Derry City and Strabane (@PSNIDCSDistrict) March 15, 2022

The total number of arrests made in association with the Lyra McKee case now stands at fifteen. Three people have already been charged with murder, while four others have been charged with rioting and associated offences that occurred on the night of the crime.

Detectives investigating the murder of Lyra McKee have made a further arrest pic.twitter.com/OX7IvnTeFH

— Police Derry City and Strabane (@PSNIDCSDistrict) March 15, 2022

Lyra McKee was tragically shot and killed on April 18, 2019, as she observed a group of rioters on Fanad Drive in the Creggan area. According to a statement released by the journalist’s family, “She was standing with a group of residents… beside a police vehicle when a masked gunman shot his weapon directly towards the onlookers. One bullet struck [her] in the head and she was killed.”

McKee, who grew up in Belfast and was deemed a rising literary star by the Irish Times, had only recently moved to Derry City to be with her partner, Sara Canning. Before her murder, she penned a poignant Tweet, saying, “Here’s to better times ahead and saying goodbye to bombs and bullets once and for all.”

In the days after her murder, a dissident republican group labelled ‘The New IRA’ claimed it was responsible for killing McKee.

In 2021, the Justice4Lyra campaign was launched by those close to the late journalist, urging “anyone with any information or any video footage that could lead to the arrest and conviction of all those responsible” to come forward and speak with the relevant authorities.