SF blames British intelligence for spy leak

Sinn Fein today blamed British intelligence for leaking the name of a republican identified as a top IRA informer.

Policing spokesman Gerry Kelly also claimed Freddie ’Scap’ Scappaticci’s family had been in contact with Sinn Fein, denying he had fled Belfast and asking the party for advice.

Scappaticci was named by several newspapers this weekend as a double agent operating within the ranks of the Provisional IRA under the name Stakeknife.

Commenting today, Mr Kelly said: “There has been a mass of allegations in the papers over the weekend and indeed followed today on the issue of a West Belfast man Freddie Scappaticci being named.

“Let me say that his family were in touch with a member of Sinn Fein looking for advice.

“They said that the man is not in custody and has not left Belfast and we advise the family to go to a solicitor and indeed Freddie Scappaticci to go to a solicitor and to make a public statement on the volume of allegations over the weekend.

“We have not been in direct contact with Freddie Scappaticci.”

It has been claimed that Mr Scappaticci was one of the IRA’s key men in tracking down informers who were later interrogated, tortured and shot dead.

He was also alleged to have tipped off security chiefs involved in the undercover operation which resulted in three members of the Provisional IRA being gunned down by the SAS in Gibraltar in 1987.

Commenting on the leaks, Mr Kelly added: “I have never seen it as big as this and what I am saying clearly is that British intelligence appear to be behind the speculation in the papers and the allegations.

“I have no comment and I am not going to join that speculation.

“But if you put it alongside a number of stories which actually appeared today as well as at the weekend – for instance the allegations by (loyalist) Michael Stone about collusion with the military and police over the last 30 years and ... a very large story about the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) and their collusions in particular centred around Girdwood Barracks ... and ally that to the Stevens Inquiry, I think that the common denominator in all of that is that British forces intelligence has been involved in all of this and has been involved in killing citizens over the last 30 years.”

British Metropolitan Police commissioner John Stevens published a report last month about collusion between security forces and loyalist paramilitary killers.

The Commissioner wants to question Stakeknife about claims that innocent Catholics and other agents were murdered to protect the agent’s identity.