A man who was convicted of murder and has been unlawfully at large for over a week has been arrested in the Republic of Ireland.

Gary Anderson, 29, was jailed for life in 2023, alongside his brother, for the murder of Karol Kelly in Londonderry.

He was on temporary release from prison to attend his father’s funeral when he absconded.

He was arrested on Wednesday by An Garda Síochána (Irish police) at a property in the town of Buncrana in County Donegal.

Karol Kelly’s sister had said the family felt “let down” by the justice system after learning that he was on the run.

The Justice Minister, Naomi Long, welcomed Anderson’s arrest.

She said she hopes the arrest “goes some way towards alleviating the anxiety and uncertainty” that Karol Kelly’s family have experienced.

Long is due to meet the family later this week.

She added that she recognises that “questions remain about the circumstances surrounding” Anderson’s release and abscondment.

“Work is progressing to establish an independent review, and further details will be announced shortly.”

The circumstances surrounding Anderson’s release sparked a political row in Northern Ireland, with Long denying on Monday that she had misled the assembly over the matter.

MP for Foyle, Colum Eastwood, welcomed Anderson’s arrest and said “confidence has been damaged in the institutions involved”.

Anderson failed to return to prison on 14 September and was last seen in the Eastway area of Derry.

Det Insp Gareth Lavery of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) thanked “everyone who assisted with our enquiries since our public appeal last Monday”.

He added that officers “conducted extensive enquiries during this investigation to locate Gary Anderson”.

Lavery also thanked An Garda Síochána officers “who arrested Gary Anderson today and for all of their help with this investigation over the last week”.

“PSNI is now working with relevant authorities in order to return Gary Anderson to custody, and we will provide an update in due course.”

An Garda Síochána asid they arrested a man, aged in his 20s, in Donegal as “part of a planned operation”.

“He is being detained under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984, at a station in the Garda North Western Region.”

Buncrana is about a 20-minute drive from the Irish border.

The town is popular with visitors from the north-west of Northern Ireland.