A spy for the British Army who operated at the heart of the IRA during the Troubles probably cost more lives than he saved, an investigation into the agent known as Stakeknife has found.
Belfast man Freddie Scappaticci was simultaneously a member of the IRA’s internal security unit and a spy for the British Army, and has been directly linked to at least 18 murders of IRA members or those accused of being informants – with the vast majority being carried out when Scappaticci was working for the Army’s Force Research Unit.
The investigation, known as Operation Kenova, spent seven years investigating the role of Scappaticci and his British Army handlers, and looked into 101 murders, kidnappings, and tortures.
Their damning interim report, published today, found that lives could have been saved by the intelligence the agent provided – and that the role of the British Army unit and RUC special branch in “withholding information from and about their agents” meant that “very serious criminal offences, including murder, were not prevented or investigated when they could and should have been”.
Former Kenova lead Jon Boutcher called for both the Government and the Republican leadership to apologise to the families of those who lost loved ones suspected of being state agents during the Troubles.
Many of the murders and interrogations where of an appallingly violent nature. One man, Paddy Trainor was lured to a house and abducted in 1981. He was then tortured – with his body left covered in burn marks – before being shot in the back of the head.
The IRA internal security unit under Scappaticci was known as “the nutting squad” and was widely feared for its brutal reputation. Today’s report found the security forces failed to prevent some murders to try to protect their agents in the IRA, but also pointed out that IRA leadership that had “commissioned and sanctioned” the actions of the unit which “committed brutal acts of torture and murder”.
The report said that speculation Scappaticci had saved hundreds of lives was wrong; and that it was more likely between high single figures and low double figures.
Mr Boutcher led this investigation until his appointment as Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in October 2023. He set out the overriding mission of Kenova is to deliver the truth to legacy families about what happened to their loved ones.
Today he said: “Many of these families have endured endless delays, setbacks and unfulfilled promises in their quest for the truth. Their strength, determination and dignity over many years is the most inspirational aspect of legacy and a lesson to us all.
“It is legacy families who gave up the most under the Good Friday Agreement and we owe it to them to listen to their stories, acknowledge their loss and tell them what actually happened.”
While acknowledging that the security forces were faced with extremely challenging circumstances to which there was often ‘no right answer’, the report finds that they were frequently aware of imminent abductions and murders and yet failed to protect those at risk.
As a result, preventable deaths occurred with their knowledge and those responsible were not brought to justice and were instead left free to reoffend.
Today’s Kenova report highlights the lack of a legal framework to properly govern the use of agents during the Troubles in which agent handling was seen on occasions as a high-stakes ‘dark art’ practised ‘off the books’.
Mr Boutcher said: “This was a very serious failing, it put lives at risk. It left those on the frontline exposed and let down.”
The report stresses the responsibility for the torture and murder of so many suspected agents lay with the Provisional IRA – and that at times the families of those accused of being agents – including women, children, the elderly and those with learning disabilities – were also subjected to violence and humiliation.
The interim report does not reveal the identity of Stakeknife due to the Government’s policy of Neither Confirm Nor Deny (NCND), but it makes clear that:
Mr Boutcher said: “Most fundamentally, even if it were possible to accurately and reliably to say that a particular agent within a terrorist group did more good than harm, the morality and legality of agents doing any harm – with the knowledge of or on behalf of the state – would not be accepted today.
“I believe files submitted to the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland by Operation Kenova contain strong evidence implicating him and others in very serious wrongdoing. In my view, much of this could and would have been avoided if Northern Ireland agent running had been subject to proper regulation, control and oversight during the Troubles.”
The Kenova interim report makes 10 recommendations.
Kenova will now begin issuing family reports before a final report on the investigation is published under the direction of Sir Iain Livingstone, former Chief Constable of Police Scotland.
Sir Iain, who took over as Head of Kenova in 2023, said: “Today’s report is an important milestone for Kenova in our unwavering commitment to deliver the truth to families about what happened to their loved ones.
“Having worked closely with Kenova as a member of its Independent Steering Group, chairing the Governance Board and now as Officer in Overall Command I have a deep understanding of the excellent investigative work that has been done. I have seen first-hand how investigators have managed to access information which was not previously available to other enquiries and investigations. That information has been crucial in building a clear picture of what happened and developing the findings and recommendations published today.
“However, our work does not end here. In the months ahead, I will ensure we provide specific reports to individual families, to provide clarity on what happened to their loved ones, the truth they have been denied for so long. We will then publish a final report which will tell the full story of Operation Kenova.”
Lawyer Kevin Winters, who represents the families of 12 victims, said the report was “a damning indictment of the state”.
“The staggering takeaway message is that the state could have intervened to save lives,” he said. “We are left with the horrendous conclusion that both state and the IRA were co-conspirators in the murder of its citizens.”