A good exclusive from Connla Young in from the Irish News:
An English career criminal has claimed he was recruited to murder five people on behalf of MI5 in the early days of the Troubles. The startling hit-man admission has been made in a sworn affidavit by convicted killer Paul Cleeland. The 82-year, who lives in England, claims he was recruited to MI5 in the late 1960s and was later flown to the north on five occasions to murder both republicans and loyalists.
He also makes a sparkling claim that the Birmingham pub bombing operation was set up to damage support for the republican movement and disrupt fundraising in England.
In his affidavit, Mr Cleeland claims a man, who was also a state agent, he met while serving a prison sentence confessed that he planted the Birmingham bombs on behalf of British intelligence. The pensioner also claims the same man, whose identity is known to the Irish News, was involved as a getaway driver in the series of murders he carried out in Belfast more than half a century ago.
You honestly would no longer know what to believe about the troubles; it’s all so murky.
I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not that interested in daily politics, preferring to write about big ideas in society. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
Discover more from Slugger O'Toole
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.