MI5 Officer: IRA spy's reports of 'mixed reliability'

Intelligence provided by an IRA informer known as Infliction was regarded as of “mixed reliability”, a senior MI5 officer claimed today.

The former boss of disgraced spy David Shayler told the Saville Inquiry in London that she got that impression by talking to colleagues within MI5.

Infliction has alleged Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness told him he fired the first shot on Bloody Sunday.

Mr McGuinness, who has admitted to being the IRA’s second-in-command in Derry in January 1972, has denied the allegation.

Mr Shayler earlier claimed he was told by at least two MI5 colleagues that Infliction was regarded as a “bullshitter”.

His group manager in the section dealing with the threat to the British mainland from Irish terrorism during the 1990s, Officer E, today said she was aware of the existence of Infliction for a number of years.

“Although I don’t recall when I first heard this, I do have a general recollection that his reporting was considered by others to be of mixed reliability,” she said.

“As far as I recall, I gained this impression from hearing others comment on Infliction and/or his reporting and not from any written documents.”

However, the serving MI5 officer said she was not an appropriate person to comment on Infliction’s reliability as she was not his handler.

Two other MI5 officers, F and G, also appeared behind curtains to protect their identity in the witness box at Methodist Central Hall today.

They claimed they had never heard Infliction referred to as unreliable.

Officer F, who worked in the same office as Mr Shayler in the 1990s, said he saw one or two reports from Infliction which had been graded as “useful intelligence”.

“In the examples that I remember, I recall that the information from the source known as Infliction, which I saw, did appear to be consistent with information provided by other sources on the same subject within the same file,” he added.

Mr Shayler’s girlfriend Annie Machon, who appeared at the Saville Inquiry yesterday, said Infliction was notorious for being unreliable in the section which dealt with Irish terrorism.

However, Officer F said he did not recall any period in which Infliction was described as notorious.

Officer G, who sat at a desk opposite Mr Shayler, said he could not recall Infliction’s reliability grading but some of his reporting was accurate.

“I do recall a specific example of some reporting which was unverifiable at the time, which was later proved to have some collateral,” he added.

None of the three MI5 officers who testified today said they discussed Infliction’s reliability with Mr Shayler.

However, both officers F and G, who shared an office with Mr Shayler, said they regarded him as an honest colleague.

Mr Shayler appeared at Methodist Central Hall yesterday following his early release from a six-month prison sentence for breaking the Official Secrets Act by disclosing information to a national newspaper.

He told the inquiry that he discussed Infliction informally with a number of colleagues, one of whom described him as a “bullshitter”.

The current head of the MI5 section which deals with Irish terrorism, Officer A, earlier described Infliction as a “generally reliable” agent, although he admitted he did lie on some occasions.

Officer A, who was Infliction’s handler at the time, said the informer told him in 1984 that the Sinn Fein MP had fired the first shot on Bloody Sunday from a Thompson sub-machine gun.

Mr McGuinness has instructed his lawyers not to question any MI5 witnesses because Infliction will not be appearing in person before the inquiry due to concerns about his safety.

The Saville Inquiry is examining the events of January 30, 1972 when 13 civilians were shot dead by soldiers during a civil rights march in Derry. A 14th person died later.

The three MI5 officers appeared on day 328 of the inquiry, which is currently hearing the evidence from military witnesses and others in London because of concerns for their safety.

Lord Saville of Newdigate and the Commonwealth judges accompanying him on the Bloody Sunday Inquiry began their work nearly four years ago and are not expected to report back until 2004.

The Bloody Sunday inquiry was established in 1998 by Prime Minister Tony Blair after a campaign by families of those killed and injured.

They felt that the Widgery Inquiry, held shortly after the shootings, did not find out the truth about what happened on Bloody Sunday.