"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," the IRA's statements reads as cited by the Guardian.
"In the course of attacking the enemy, Lyra McKee was tragically killed while standing beside enemy forces," the statement reads, adding that "the IRA offer our full and sincere apologies to the partner, family, and friends of Lyra McKee for her death," the statement reads.
The group also said that it had "instructed volunteers to take the utmost care in future when engaging the enemy, and put in place measures to help ensure this".
READ MORE: Journalist Killed in Northern Ireland 'Terror Incident' — Police
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said in a statement on Tuesday that a woman had been arrested in connection with the murder of freelance journalist Lyra McKee during the terror attack in the city of Londonderry in Northern Ireland earlier in April.
"Major Investigation Team detectives have arrested a 57-year-old woman under the Terrorism Act in connection with the murder of Lyra McKee in Creggan in Derry/Londonderry on Thursday, 18th April," the Police Service of Northern Ireland said in a statement.
Lyra McKee was shot while covering riots in Derry last week. The 29 year old journalist was taken to a hospital with gunshot wounds and succembed to her injuries afterwards.
The New IRA is a nationalist group protesting the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that put an end to nearly 3 decades of violance and terrorist attacks in Northern Ireland. Over the past few years, the New IRA has carried out several terrorist attacks in the region. In particular, its militants attempted to blow up a police car on 22 February, 2017 in Londonderry.
