https://www.thecanary.co/?s=PalestineA groundbreaking report into the activities on the secret activities of British agent in Northern Ireland dubbed ‘Stakeknife’ has still been unable to name him. But as the report notes, even
the dogs in the street [knowing] that Fred Scappaticci is the agent Stakeknife.
These were the words of solicitor Kevin Smith, who has been representing the families who lost loved ones in crimes linked to Scappaticci. The former bricklayer rose through the ranks of the Irish Republic Army (IRA) to become a senior figure in the group’s Internal Security Unit (ISU), which investigated the presence of potential spies within the IRA.
Alleged ‘touts’ were often brutally tortured before being executed with a a gun shot in the head. The report makes clear that British officials knew about these crimes but did not intervene due to Scappaticci’s usefulness as an informer embedded in northern Ireland.
Report shows criminality of security forces in Northern Ireland
The report stems from Operation Kenova — a criminal investigation named launched in 2017 to uncover evidence of crimes linked to ‘Stakeknife’ and adjacent figures. It was previously led by Jon Boutcher, now head of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). The final ‘Officer in Overall Command’ was Iain Livingstone, ex-Chief Constable of Police Scotland.
In an Interim Report published in March 2024, Boutcher had been highly critical of British security forces, saying there was “a lack of regulation, oversight and leadership”. He described how those pursuing paramilitary groups:
…did not action information about threats to life, abductions and murders in order to protect agents from compromise.
As a result, murders that could and should have been prevented were allowed to take place with the knowledge of the security forces and those responsible for murder were not brought to justice and were instead left free to re-offend again…
In response to those claiming that Stakeknife’s role saved more lives than it cost, he stated:
From what I have seen, I think [using him as an agent] resulted in more lives being lost than were saved.
He went on to say state agents doing harm is something that “we would never ever allow today”. This is an absurd claim given the British state is currently participating in so-called Israel’s genocide in Palestine.
MI5 only ‘discovered’ fresh evidence relating to Scappaticci in spring 2024. This was conveniently after the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) had declared it would not pursue prosecution against security forces agents and IRA members. Livingstone described the failure to provide evidence sooner as “extremely disappointing” and stated that:
The new material revealed that MI5 had greater and earlier knowledge of Stakeknife than we had previously been told.
He continued:
The very fact that material owned and held by MI5 was not timeously disclosed understandably undermined the confidence of communities that state authorities had cooperated fully with Kenova.
‘Neither Confirm Nor Deny’ policy conceals the truth
This was compounded by the ongoing use by MI5 of their ‘Neither Confirm Nor Deny‘ (NCND) approach regarding agents. NCND is the policy of not disclosing any information about alleged spies. MI5 claim that doing so would deter potential recruits. Their stance appears to be: “we want to let potential agents know they can commit any crime imaginable, and never face any accountability.” It goes without saying the implications this has for the agency’s intentions, and the sort of people such a policy will attract.
In August 2023, Kenova was told that revealing Stakeknife’s identity would be opposed by:
MI5 and other departments and agencies with an interest in the maintenance of the [NCND] principle.
The Cabinet Office said doing so would breach the Official Secrets Act 1989. Livingstone made multiple attempts to push for full disclosure, including offering to meet Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn in person. The British government’s current line, repeated by Benn in parliament on 9 December, is that an ongoing case at the Supreme Court must be resolved before any decision can be taken on NCND.
That matter, involving the 1994 murder of 25-year-old Catholic Paul Thompson by the loyalist Ulster Freedom Fighters terror group, is to determine whether his family has the right to know a “gist of information” about his killing.
This seems like the bare minimum they ought to be entitled to. They primarily want to know whether there was any British state collusion with the paramilitaries responsible.
Serial killer died while protected by British state
The battle for proper disclosure on Scappaticci, even though he is deceased, and his identity has been well-known for over 20 years, bodes ill for legacy case investigations in the Northern Ireland. The ex-IRA enforcer ultimately died in 2023 of natural causes at the age of 77. Security forces had helped to ensure his protection in later years, after lavishing him with money throughout his employment by them.
He was convicted in 2018 for possessing “extreme pornographic images” that included abuse of men, women and animals, though received only a suspended sentence. The Kenova Report states that “3,517 separate reports” to British security forces were provided by the West Belfast man. It implicates him in 27 cases of serious crimes, including over a dozen instances of conspiracy to murder, alongside other offences such as grievous bodily harm and false imprisonment.
Matthew O’Toole of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) emphasised Scappaticci’s brutality, while also slamming both the British government and IRA:
The depravity of the Stakeknife story is hard to put into words. The British state facilitated evil acts against innocent people and continue to block justice. It must also be said that it was the IRA who first gave this serial killer a licence to torture and murder for them.
Sinn Féin Leader Mary Lou McDonald TD highlighted the cover-up by British authorities:
The continued obstruction by British agencies, the withholding of files, and the refusal to face up to their role in the murder of Irish citizens casts grave doubt on the British Government’s commitment to dealing honestly with the past. Their proposed Legacy legislation will deepen impunity, not deliver justice.
What is needed – and what victims and families deserve – is a fully independent, Article 2 ECHR-compliant, victim-centred truth and accountability process. Nothing less will meet the needs of families or the standards of justice.
Cover-ups hinder Northern Ireland’s post-Troubles recovery
Jim Allister of the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) said the security forces were:
…organisations of immense integrity, whose service and bravery preserved many lives.
This “ends justifies the means” mentality appears to still be the mindset of the British state and its security services, who have convinced themselves that secrecy and criminality can be justified in the names of some imagined greater good, and greater strategic benefit.
Such secrecy leaves the wounds of Troubles victims unhealed, and stymies the Northern Ireland from moving past an era of conflict. In the report, there is a quote from a man described as the “brother of one of the victims whose murder was investigated by Operation Kenova”. He said:
For me personally and I am presuming for a lot of families, NCND has ended any hopes of truth.
Featured image via the Canary/the Irish News
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