Two men arrested under Terrorism Act charged with murder of Lyra McKee
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Two men arrested under Terrorism Act charged with murder of Lyra McKee

TWO MEN have been charged with the murder of journalist Lyra McKee in Derry in 2019.

The culmination of a two-year investigation by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), yesterday four men were arrested on suspicion of being involved in Ms McKee's murder.

All four-- aged 19, 20, 21 and 33-- were arrested under the Terrorism Act  and taken to the Serious Crime Suite at Musgrave Police Station for questioning.

The PSNI have now confirmed that two of the men have been charged with Ms McKee's murder; the dedicated journalist was shot to death by the New IRA as she reported from the scene of sectarian violence in the Creggan area of Derry in April 2019.

Lyra McKee, 29, was a top young journalist who previously featured in Forbes' 30 under 30 in media list (Image: Twitter)

The pair, aged 21 and 33, have also been charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life, riot, possession of petrol bombs, throwing petrol bombs and arson.

The 33 year old has also been charged with robbery.

A third man arrested yesterday has not been charged with Lyra's murder but has been charged with riot, possession of petrol bombs and throwing petrol bombs.

The fourth man arrested has been released pending a report to the Public Prosecution Service.

The three men charged with offences, including the pair charged with the murder of the 29-year-old journalist, will appear before Derry Magistrates Court via video link this morning, Friday 17 September.

Ms McKee was an LGBT activist and influential journalist from Belfast whose investigative reporting on sectarian violence in Northern Ireland led in her being named in Forbes' '30 under 30' list.

She received international attention for her blog post 'Letter to my 14-year-old self', which described her experience of growing up gay in Belfast and which was developed into a short film.