Man suspected of being Stakeknife, Britain’s top spy in IRA, dies

Read More

The man said to be the British army’s most important agent inside the Provisional IRA has died, putting a question mark over the inquiry into his alleged crimes and the role played by security forces.

Freddie Scappaticci, a west Belfast former bricklayer who was alleged to have been a top mole known as Stakeknife, died and was buried last week, it emerged on Tuesday. He was in his 70s.

During the Troubles, Scappaticci headed the IRA’s informer-hunting unit known as “the nutting squad” and allegedly relayed secrets. He denied being Stakeknife and left Northern Ireland in 2003 after media outlets identified him as the alleged mole. He moved to England.

Stakeknife is accused of being responsible for multiple murders of alleged IRA informers, which would mean that while operating as a paid agent of the state he was allowed to commit serious crimes in order to bolster his authority within the republican movement.

His alleged activities and the role of the state, including MI5, are under investigation by Operation Kenova, led by the former Bedfordshire chief constable Jon Boutcher.

“We were made aware last week of the passing of Frederick Scappaticci,” Boutcher said in a statement on Tuesday. “We are working through the implications of his death with regards to our ongoing casework, which will be progressed in consultation with victims, bereaved families, advocacy support groups and a wide range of statutory and non-statutory partners.”

The nature of historical investigations meant a higher likelihood that old age would catch up with those affected, be they perpetrators, witnesses, victims, before matters were concluded, said Boutcher, adding: “We remain committed to providing families with the truth of what happened to their loved ones and continue to actively pursue criminal charges against several individuals. We will publish an interim report on Kenova’s findings this year.”

He continued: “We also recognise that people may now feel more able to talk to the Kenova team following the death of Mr Scappaticci, who had long accused by many of being involved in the kidnap, murder and torture of potential PIRA informants during the Troubles.

“I appeal to anyone with information that might help those impacted by the events we are investigating to contact us in confidence to help families understand what happened during these difficult times.”

The Public Prosecution Service is due to make decisions on dozens of files related to the investigation.

It is alleged that Stakeknife is directly linked to 18 murders of IRA members accused of being informers and that the mole-hunting unit he headed was responsible for 30 deaths overall.

The families of those abducted and killed by Stakeknife’s IRA unit claim his handlers could have saved their loved ones but failed to act. The intelligence the agent was passing about the inner workings of the IRA including its leadership was much more important to the British state than saving lives, the families say.

Gen Sir John Wilsey, the general officer commanding the British army in Northern Ireland between 1983 and 1990, once described Stakeknife as “the golden egg” of military intelligence agents during the Troubles and said he had saved “hundreds and hundreds of lives”.