Undercover agent risked life for years to catch Campbell

THE conviction of Michael Campbell in a Lithuanian court yesterday marks the end of an international “sting” involving the police and security services of three nations.

Operation Uncritical thwarted an attempt by the Real IRA to acquire guns and explosives, which security services believe would have been used to mount a terror campaign in Northern Ireland and on the British mainland.

At its heart was a courageous undercover agent who for years risked his life to provide his MI5 handlers with intelligence about the activities of dissident republicans’ plans. The agent, who was referred to in court as “Robert Jardine”, was a businessman based in southern England dealing in imports and exports.