THREE MEN HAVE been charged by police in Northern Ireland over a claim of responsibility for the attempted murder of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell in February.

The men – aged 23, 25 and 26 – have been charged possessing articles for use in terrorism.

All three are expected to appear before the Magistrates Court in Derry today.

DCI Caldwell was shot multiple times on an evening in February at a sports complex on the Killyclogher Road in Omagh.

It occurred while he was off-duty at the end of a coaching session for a youth football team.

There have been 31 arrests in the investigation to date, which includes some instances of the same individual being arrested more than once.

On Wednesday, three men – aged 45, 47 and 58 – appeared in court charged with preparatory acts of terrorism linked to the attack.

Caldwell spent several weeks in intensive care after the shooting.

The senior detective had led a number of high-profile PSNI investigations in Northern Ireland.

In May he was seen in public for the first time since the incident, at a garden party in Hillsborough during a visit by King Charles and Camilla, where he had a private audience with Charles.

He spoke in public when he was presented with the special recognition award at the Sunday Life Spirit of Northern Ireland Awards on last Friday night.

-With additional reporting from Press Association