Ministers have been urged to name a British spy who infiltrated the IRA during the Northern Ireland Troubles - and issue an apology to victims, after a major independent investigation into the operation.
The interim findings of Operation Kenova found more lives were probably lost than saved through the operation of Stakeknife, an agent who “committed grotesque, serious crime” including torture and murder.
It looked at the activities of the agent within the internal security unit of the Provisional IRA, which was responsible for interrogating and torturing people suspected of passing information to the security forces.…
Ministers have been urged to name a British spy who infiltrated the IRA during the Northern Ireland Troubles - and issue an apology to victims, after a major independent investigation into the operation.
The interim findings of Operation Kenova found more lives were probably lost than saved through the operation of Stakeknife, an agent who “committed grotesque, serious crime” including torture and murder.
It looked at the activities of the agent within the internal security unit of the Provisional IRA, which was responsible for interrogating and torturing people suspected of passing information to the security forces.
The agent Stakeknife was widely believed to be west Belfast man, Freddie Scappaticci, who was 77 when he died in 2023. He had denied the claims.
Following the final report, published on Tuesday, Kenova chief Sir Iain Livingstone said there was a “compelling ethical case for the UK Government to derogate from the Neither Confirm Nor Deny (NCND) policy regarding the agent Stakeknife’s identity”.
Sir Iain, who was unable to name the agent in the report due to the order, added: “It is in the public interest that Stakeknife is named.”
The Stakeknife agent‘s activities were in the internal security unit of the IRA, where he also fed information to the Army
It was also revealed on Tuesday that MI5 has alerted the investigation of previously undisclosed material, after the release of the interim report last year. But because it came eight months after the probe’s launch, its detail could not be investigated.
At a press conference, MI5 director general Sir Ken McCallum
Among the updated 10 recommendations in the report, the UK government has been urged to acknowledge and apologise to bereaved families and surviving victims.
It also calls for a full apology from the Republican Movement for the Provisional IRA’s abduction, torture and murder of those it suspected of being agents.
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