The North will not return to violence and sectarianism after it worked so hard for peace, a rally has heard.

Hundreds gathered in Omagh yesterday to rally against paramilitary violence after an off-duty police officer was in the area.

A sixth man has been arrested in connection with the attempted murder which occurred on Wednesday and is being treated as 'terrorist-related'.

Speaking at the rally, Pádraig Mulholland from NIPSA trade union said that "enough is enough".

"Draw a line under these activities, consign them to history and let's move society on", he said.

"We should not find ourselves pushed into a place where oppression starts to happen in our society again.

"We want a fair, free, open society for everybody. We want things to change. No going back.

"There are those in society on both sides of the sectarian divide who will welcome the opportunity that this attack offers them, to stir the pot of sectarianism again, to try to take us back to where we used to be.

"But let's be clear again, there is no going back to those days."

Police at the sports complex near Omagh, Co Tyrone, where off-duty PSNI Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell was shot, 23-02-2023. Image: Barry Whyte/Newstalk

Football club

Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell was shot and seriously injured in front of his young son and others after a coaching session at a sports complex in Co Tyrone.

Mr Cadwell was volunteering at Beragh Swifts Football Club.

Chair of the club, Ricky Lions, told Newstalk that the incident has impacted many people in the community.

"It's been tough, I'll not lie", he said.

"But the community has rallied and there's been a lot of support for John, there's been a lot of support for us.

"There was other people affected. There was other clubs there at the same time and all those people have been affected, our kids have been affected."

Main image shows a sign for the Youth Sport Omagh sports complex in Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland where off-duty PSNI Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell was shot a number of times by masked men. Picture by: PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo