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.
Following the final report, published on Tuesday, Kenova chief Sir Iain Livingstone said there wa 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 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.
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