TWO young men have been arrested over the killing of a journalist shot dead in Northern Ireland, police said Saturday, after the murder triggered international condemnation.

The 18- and 19-year-old men were arrested in Derry, also known as Londonderry, under anti-terror laws and taken to Belfast for questioning, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said.

Journalist Lyra McKee, 29, was shot in the head late Thursday in Derry by, police believe, dissident republicans linked to the New IRA paramilitary group as they clashed with police in Northern Ireland’s second city.

Detectives hunting the gunman released security camera footage of the rioting on Derry’s Creggan estate, hoping its publication would help trace her killers.

The footage showed McKee standing with other reporters by a police vehicle, and the suspected gunman coming around a corner.

Detective Superintendent Jason Murphy, who is leading the investigation, said Saturday that police conducted a number of searches as part of the probe.

“Lyra was murdered by terrorists. I believe that the people responsible are members of the New IRA,” he said.

Murphy said there was a “new breed of terrorist coming through the ranks.”

He added that the situation was very worrying and “the brutal nature of the attack has sent shockwaves around the world.”

The New IRA is a republican paramilitary group opposed to the shift towards non-violent tactics to bring about a united Ireland. (SD-Agencies)