Two devastated friends of murdered Lyra McKee have said the New IRA have blood on their hands ahead of the journalist’s funeral on Wednesday.
The Republican gang yesterday admitted responsibility and offered a hollow apology for shooting the 29-year-old during riots in Creggan, Derry, last Thursday.
Friend Sinead Quinn said Monday’s red paint handprints placed on Saoradh’s Derry HQ - the political wing of the New IRA - was an act of protest.
She said: “I believe it was Kathleen [Lyra’s friend] that took the decision to put the handprints on rather than painting the wall.
“And the reason for that was the symbolism of blood on hands and that was for us the importance to highlight that someone has blood on their hands.
Woman arrested in connection with murder of journalist Lyra McKee shot dead in Derry
Reacting to the apology from the New IRA, she added: “An apology without actual positive action means nothing.”
Thousands are expected to attend Lyra’s funeral at 1pm tomorrow in St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast.
Journalists across Ireland have been invited to form a guard of honour for their fallen colleague outside, while mourners will wear Harry Potter and Marvel t-shirts in her memory.
President Michael D Higgins confirmed he will attend the funeral, along with Tanaiste Simon Coveney.
New IRA offers 'full and sincere' apology for murder of journalist Lyra McKee in Co Derry
Ms Quinn said following the tragic assassination of her friend, that politicians in the North need to focus on getting back to work after over a two year absence from Stormont.
She said: “At this stage we think that in terms of the politicians it was wonderful to see them come together for a few moments in Creggan but it’s time they come together now on the regular issues.
“It’s time they come together and realise as a population we deserve a lot more and that’s what Lyra would have wanted.
“She would have been glad to see them stand there, she’d have been proud to know that her horrendously, disgusting death led to that moment.
“However, she also would have been saying ‘right guys, what’s next?’ and that’s what we are saying to our politicians now too.”
Saoradh leader Brian Kenna is a former IRA man jailed for a violent bank robbery
Kathleen Bradley, a friend of Ms McKee and her partner Sara Canning, said political leaders in the North need to act now in order to stop a younger generation getting involved in dissident groups.
She said: “This is such a minority [of people] in our town, such a minority and I’m sure it’s the same in other towns that with a bit of effort from our political leaders I’m sure this could be worked out.
“People coming up through communities would feel as though they’d have no other option but to join things like that.
“If our leaders create better opportunities, better chances and better environments, people can make better choices, then this is so doable and possible to get rid of.”
Speaking to RTE Radio One’s Morning Ireland, Ms Bradley said: “You can definitely feel a sense of tragic loss [in Derry] and people are now adamant and sure that this is definitely not what we want, that it is definitely not part of the future we want.
“You can sense that people are now looking to politicians as if to say, ‘right it’s now your turn, what are you going to do about this?’”
Pals of murdered journalist Lyra McKee deface Saoradh office in Derry with red handprints
Meanwhile, on Tuesday morning, a 57-year-old woman was arrested in connection with Lyra’s murder.
The PSNI made the arrest under the Terrorism Act and were questioning the woman at Musgrave Serious Crime Suite.
The woman was later released on Tuesday evening.
The PSNI said: "Detectives from PSNI Major Investigation Team continue to appeal for help from the local community in Creggan or anyone with information."
Two men aged 18 and 19 years-old were arrested in connection with the journalist’s murder at the weekend but were released without charge.
The New IRA, which calls itself the IRA, apologised and admitted responsibility for Ms McKee’s death.
The statement read: “On Thursday night following an incursion on the Creggan by heavily armed British crown forces which provoked rioting, the IRA deployed our volunteers to engage.
“We have instructed our volunteers to take the utmost care in future when engaging the enemy, and put in place measures to help ensure this.
“In the course of attacking the enemy, Lyra McKee was tragically killed while standing beside enemy forces.
“The IRA offer our full and sincere apologies to the partner, family and friends of Lyra McKee for her death.”
Ms Quinn added that the apology means nothing unless change happens.
She told UTV: “It gives no one comfort and in fact the way their statement continued on, which is basically ‘we’re not going to go away’, that flies in the face of the apology.”
Reporter Leona O’Neill, who witnessed the shooting of her colleague, said she will never forget the “animalistic scream” of panic following the brutal murder.
She told Miriam O’Callaghan on RTE Radio One: “I heard the pop, pop, pop of gunfire at about 11pm.
“A masked man came out from the shadows and fired up towards presumably what he thought were police vehicles although there were crowds of people standing around.
“There were people standing outside of their homes, there were women with children on their hips.
"There were teenagers filming for Snapchat, the place was so crowded.
“I heard more shots and I looked directly in front of me and there was a police Land Rover and when I first looked at it I thought some people had dropped clothes on the ground.
“Perhaps a bag of washing to get away but when I looked closely I registered a face and there was a young woman lying on the ground beside the police Land Rover.
“People were screaming hysterically, I’ll never forget that sound. It was just an animalistic scream, people were screaming for help.
“I had my phone in my hand because I had been filming the riot because I am a reporter and someone screamed to phone an ambulance and that’s what I did.”
