Stakeknife

Many believed Freddie Scappaticci, who led the I.R.A.’s internal security unit for years during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, was the high-ranking British mole known as Stakeknife.

A lengthy police investigation into the crimes of Stakeknife ended with no prosecutions earlier this year.

Exactly how Scappaticci was 'turned' remains a mystery but what is known, is that by 1978, he was already working for the British Army under the code name, Stakeknife.

Feedback on “Stakeknife revelations left republicans 'paralysed and damaged', confidential records show”.

Referring to Stakeknife's victims, Mr Boutcher said many of them had endured "endless delays, setbacks and unfulfilled promises in their search for the truth".

The head of Operation Kenova, Sir Iain Livingstone, said it is important to stress the PPS decisions relate to individuals who are "supplementary to the focus of the operation - the activities of an alleged army agent codenamed Stakeknife".

Discussing the report in Parliament in 2003, Labour MP Kevin McNamara said: 'It is alleged that Stakeknife was a low-ranking Irish Republican Army volunteer, who was recruited to the FRU in 1978.

Stakeknife is widely believed to have been Freddie Scappaticci, the head of the IRA’s Internal Security Unit – the “Nutting Squad”.

Stakeknife was such a sensitive source in the IRA that the British military used a specialist squad to handle him, the Force Research Unit (FRU) – part of the army’s intelligence corps.

What is truly dizzying about the allegations made by Hurst and others is that a British agent — Stakeknife — was effectively being allowed to torture and kill other British informants in order to maintain his privileged position within the IRA.

Fred Scappaticci,72, said to have been a leading Army agent in the IRA, codenamed Stakeknife, was arrested and questioned about allegations of involvement in dozens of murders.

In 2003 Stakeknife was widely named as west Belfast man Scappaticci but he has always strongly denied the allegation.