Freddie Scappaticci

“In Kenova’s sights are also those IRA leaders on the Provisional Army Council who sanctioned the “executions” for spying…”

Pete Baker on January 30, 2018, 7:46 pm | Readers 6459

The BBC reports that Freddie Scappaticci has been arrested in England by the Operation Kenova team and is being questioned “in connection with the investigation into allegations of murder, kidnap and torture”. [Scappaticci is pictured above – bottom left with dark moustache at funeral of Provisional IRA member Larry Marley] The investigation team confirmed that a 72-year-old man had been arrested. The BBC understands the man being questioned is Fred Scappaticci and that he was arrested in England. The investigation …

Operation Kenova and The Spy in the IRA…

Pete Baker on April 17, 2017, 2:57 pm | Readers 5016

John Ware’s BBC Panorama investigation on Freddie Scappaticci, The Spy in the IRA, is available online, with an accompanying article on the BBC website. Ed Moloney has some relevant posts on his blog on the programme, including criticism of the initial response by processors in the media to Liam Clarke’s scoop when he broke the story in 1999. Not all journalists were as keen to follow the story up. Sinn Fein spread the word that Liam Clarke’s story was the work of …

Operation Kenova: “I do not underestimate the huge task of establishing the circumstances behind how and why these murders occurred during those dark days.”

Pete Baker on June 13, 2016, 5:03 pm | Readers 969

In a recent post Brian mentioned briefly the launch of the investigation into the activities of ‘Steaknife’ – the alleged British Army’s highest ranking informant within the Provisional IRA. Named in the media as Freddie Scappaticci, originally from west Belfast, Scappaticci has denied the allegations. Operation Kenova, as it’s been named, will be headed by Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, from Bedfordshire Police and, according to reports, is expected to last around five years and cost £35million. The BBC report notes [The] investigation into the alleged …

“Maybe your client is understating his importance.”

Pete Baker on December 16, 2011, 7:49 pm | Readers 127

Yesterday Dublin High Court rejected an application by Freddie Scappaticci, who denies he was a British army agent within the Provisional IRA known as “Stakeknife”, for a judicial review of the Smithwick Tribunal’s decision to allow witness Kevin Fulton to give evidence from behind a screen – and for a halt in the hearing of that evidence until the matter was resolved to Scappaticci’s satisfaction. Today, the Smithwick Tribunal continued to hear evidence from Kevin Fulton – a former British army agent also known as …

Scappaticci granted legal representation at Smithwick Tribunal

Pete Baker on May 18, 2011, 1:48 pm | Readers 29

The Smithwick Tribunal may have opened in 2006, but the public hearings are only to begin in June this year. The tribunal’s terms of reference are Tribunal of Inquiry into suggestions that members of An Garda Síochána or other employees of the State colluded in the fatal shootings of RUC Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and RUC Superintendent Robert Buchanan on the 20th March, 1989. And the Tribunal’s rules of procedure adds a interpretation of those terms 9. The Tribunal’s Terms …

“Is Scappaticci getting to that time of life when he wants to talk about his role in the conflict…”

Pete Baker on March 30, 2011, 3:08 pm | Readers 699

In the Belfast Telegraph, Alan Murray asks some pertinent questions ahead of the Smithwick Tribunal’s public hearing stage. From the Belfast Telegraph article What Hurst [‘Martin Ingram’] has told Judge Smithwick so far about Stakeknife’s role along the border and whether it has relevance to his tribunal we are not allowed to know. What we do know is that the Ministry of Defence does not want Hurst to talk about Stakeknife, either publicly or privately, which puts its lawyers on a collision-course …