The man accused of being ‘Stakeknife’ – the British Army’s top spy in the IRA – has died.
Freddie Scappaticci always denied being the mole – who’s said to have worked as a double agent, torturing and murdering other suspected informants for the IRA’s “nutting squad”.
It’s been claimed he was allowed to commit the violence to gain the trust of the organisation’s leadership and maintain his cover.
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Retired police chief Jon Boutcher has been investigating dozens of murders linked to Stakeknife and the role played by his handlers and the security services, including MI5.
The Operation Kenova report was due to be published early this year but has been delayed.
Mr Boutcher said he was made aware of Scappaticci’s death last week and his team were looking at the implications.
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“We remain committed to providing families with the truth of what happened to their loved ones and continue to actively pursue criminal charges against several individuals,” he said.
“We will publish an interim report on Kenova’s findings this year.”
He urged anyone who might now want to talk to investigators following Scappaticci’s death to “contact us in confidence”.
Scappaticci, from West Belfast, was in his late 70s and is understood to have already been buried.
He left Northern Ireland in 2003 after being widely named as Stakeknife.
In 2018, Scappaticci appeared at a London court and admitted possessing extreme pornography.
His death comes as suspected pipe bombs were found in a cemetery in Northern Ireland, hours ahead of Joe Biden’s visit to the country.
The US president is due to arrive in the country between 9pm and 10pm in a much-anticipated trip watched over by a huge security operation.
