Arrests over NI policeman murder

Two men, aged 17 and 37, have been arrested in connection with the murder of a policeman in Northern Ireland, BBC reported.

Dissident republican group, the Continuity IRA, said it shot Constable Stephen Paul Carroll at Lismore Manor, Craigavon, County Armagh on Monday.

Constable Carroll, 48, a married man, with children from Banbridge, died 48 hours after two soldiers were shot dead by the Real IRA at a base in Antrim.

Both of those arrested are being questioned in Antrim police station.

Police were responding to a woman's call for help when they were attacked.

Constable Carroll was shot through the rear window of his police car when he arrived at the scene at about 2145 GMT on Monday.

Police said they were looking for a man in a light-coloured top who was seen running from the area after the shooting.

At least two houses have been searched in the nearby Drumbeg estate.

At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Chief Superintendent Alan Todd said the constable had given 23 years of service to the community, working with the police service.

Chief Superintendent Alan Todd talks about the killing

The Continuity IRA is one of a number of dissident republican paramilitary groups opposed to the peace process which have carried out bomb and gun attacks on civilians and the security forces.

This is the first murder of a police officer in NI since 1998. Constable Frank O'Reilly was killed by a loyalist blast bomb during disturbances linked to the Drumcree dispute in 1998.

The last police officers murdered by republicans, RUC constables Roland John Graham and David Andrew Johnston, were shot dead by the IRA in Lurgan, County Armagh in June 1997.

Politicians from all parties condemned Monday's killing.

In the weekend attack, sappers Mark Quinsey, 23, from Birmingham and Patrick Azimkar, 21, from London, were shot at Massereene Army base, Antrim.

The soldiers were killed as they accepted a pizza delivery at about 2120 GMT on Saturday.