Two men have appeared in court in Northern Ireland charged with the murder of the writer Lyra McKee.

Gearoid Cavanagh, 33, and Jordan Devine, 21, both from Derry, appeared via video link at Derry magistrates court on Friday

They were charged with McKee’s murder as well as possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life, riot, possession of petrol bombs, throwing petrol bombs and arson. Cavanagh was also charged with robbery.

McKee, 29, one of Northern Ireland’s most promising young journalists, was shot as she observed rioting in the Creggan area of Derry on 18 April 2019. The New IRA, a dissident republican group, admitted responsibility and said its gunman had been aiming at police.

The judge Barney McElholm granted the defendants bail and ordered them to return to court on 7 October.

Police arrested Cavanagh and Devine, along with two other men, on Wednesday under the Terrorism Act. Det Supt Jason Murphy said the arrests were the culmination of a detailed two-year investigation into McKee’s murder and the events that preceded it.

One man, Paul McIntyre, 53, has already been charged with McKee’s murder. He denies the charge. Another man has been charged with rioting and other offences related to the night of the shooting.

The killing shocked Northern Ireland and there were calls at McKee’s funeral for nationalist and unionist political parties to stop squabbling and build on the spirit of the 1998 Good Friday agreement.

On the second anniversary of the death in April 2021, the National Union of Journalists launched a campaign urging witnesses to come forward with fresh information. Billboard ads appeared around Derry and thousands of letters from McKee’s family appealing for information were delivered to homes around the city.