Stakeknife: More lives lost than saved in use of British spy who ran IRA ‘nutting squad’
A report into the top British mole inside the IRA has concluded his actions probably resulted in “more lives being lost than saved”.
Freddie Scappaticci, codenamed ‘Stakeknife’, headed the IRA‘s “nutting squad”, a unit tasked with identifying informants, but was himself operating as a spy for British intelligence.
The seven-year investigation found the security forces were frequently aware of imminent abductions and murders but failed to protect those at risk.
As a result, preventable deaths occurred with their knowledge and those responsible were not brought to justice and were instead left free to reoffend.
The report stopped short of confirming Scappaticci as Stakeknife, but it made clear:
• He did exist and was an individual rather than a collective of different agents as has been speculated
• He was involved in “very serious and wholly unjustifiable criminality”, including murder
• Claims that his intelligence saved “countless” or “hundreds” of lives are exaggerated
• The number of lives he saved is between high single figures and low double figures
It said: “Victims were not protected and terrorists were not subjected to criminal justice.”
A former defence chief once branded Scappaticci “the goose that laid the golden eggs” and claimed his actions had saved hundreds of lives.
But the investigation found those claims to be “inherently implausible… a comparison rooted in fables and fairy tales”.
The report calls on the UK government to acknowledge many murders were avoidable and to apologise to bereaved families.
A British soldier on duty in Belfast in 1996. Pic: PA
But the most damning words in the 200-page document relate to “the most shameful and evil” actions of the Provisional IRA.
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“It was PIRA that committed the brutal acts of torture and murder, each evil act being the epitome of cowardice,” it states.
It claims senior republicans condoned “and still condone” those activities and calls on them to accept wrongdoing and to apologise.
The report also recommends that the longest day, 21 June, be designated as a day to remember those killed or injured during the troubles.
Who was Stakeknife?
Scappaticci, the son of Italian parents, grew up in Belfast and had trials with Manchester City and Nottingham Forest.
He joined the IRA in the 1970s and was linked to 18 murders, but died last year, aged 77, having never faced trial for any of them.
Briefly interred without trial, he was recruited by the army’s Force Research Unit, which ran informants, and was its most valued asset.
He exemplified “the dirty war” between British intelligence agencies and the IRA – a world of espionage and turning a blind eye to murder.
The PPS found insufficient evidence to prosecute any former IRA member or soldier. Pic: PA
‘Judge, jury and executioner’
Described as “judge, jury and executioner” of the IRA unit hunting informants within, some estimate he directed up to 30 murders.
His activities became the focus of Operation Kenova, a £40m investigation, launched by Jon Boutcher, former chief constable of Bedfordshire in 2016.
Mr Boutcher was appointed chief constable in Northern Ireland last year and passed the Kenova baton to Sir Iain Livingstone, former chief constable of Police Scotland.
Operation Kenova submitted 28 files for consideration, but the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) found there was insufficient evidence to prosecute any former IRA member or soldier.
The PPS said 32 people were considered for prosecution across a range of charges, from murder and abduction to misconduct in public office and perjury.
Sixteen were former IRA members, 12 were retired military personnel, two had links to MI5, one was a former police officer and another was a former prosecutor.
A crew member remains missing after an oil tanker and cargo ship collided in the North Sea off the coast of East Yorkshire.
Dozens of people abandoned the vessels after the crash just before 9.50am, with the Coastguard rescuing 36 people.
All 23 on board the oil tanker Stena Immaculate are accounted for – but one of the 14 crew members of the Solong cargo ship is still missing.
A Coastguard search was called off around 9.40pm, while both vessels were both still on fire.
One of the 36 people rescued was taken to hospital.
Sky News understands there is a five-mile air and sea exclusion zone around the location of the incident, which may be widened to 10 miles if later required.
Read more: What we know about the collision
Both ships are on fire following the collision
The Stena Immaculate was carrying jet fuel and was on a short-term charter to the US Navy at the time of the incident.
The cargo ship was reportedly carrying 15 containers of sodium cyanide and an unknown quantity of alcohol.
Two maritime security sources told Reuters there was “no indication” of any malicious activity or other actors involved in the incident.
Ambulances leaving the scene
‘Multiple explosions onboard’
US logistics group Crowley, which manages oil tanker Stena Immaculate, confirmed the vessel had released some jet fuel after sustaining a ruptured cargo tank.
The firm said it initiated its emergency vessel response plan and is “actively working with public agencies to contain the fire and secure the vessel”.
Crowley added: “Our first priority is the safety of the people and environment. We will provide more updates as information becomes available.”
Read more: Environmental impact of collision depends on at least three things
Pic: Bartek Smialek/PA
Pic: Bartek Smialek/PA
Downing Street ‘monitoring situation’
The prime minister’s official spokesman said it was an “extremely concerning situation”.
He said: “We thank the emergency services for their rapid response. I understand the Department for Transport is working closely with the coastguard to help support the response to the incident.
“We’re obviously monitoring the situation, we’ll continue to coordinate the response and we’re grateful to emergency personnel for their continued efforts.”
Meanwhile, Hull City Council leader Mike Ross has called for the UK government to set out a rapid response plan in response to the events.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander later praised the work of the emergency services, adding: “The Maritime Accident Investigation Branch has begun a preliminary assessment and I am working closely with the MCA (Maritime and Coastguard Agency) as they conduct an assessment of any counter pollution response which may be required over the coming days.”
Coastguard’s emergency message
Moments after the collision, a message broadcast by the Coastguard warned other ships to stay away from the area.
In audio shared on social media, the Coastguard can be heard warning Solong “has collided” with Stena Immaculate.
“Both vessels are abandoning,” the message continued.
“Vessels who have firefighting equipment or can assist with search and rescue, contact Humber Coastguard.
“Stena is carrying Jet-A1 fuel, which is on fire and in the water. Vessels – remain at safe distance.”
East Midlands Ambulance Service sent an incident response unit
‘Inspectors are gathering evidence’
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch is now investigating the collision.
A spokesperson said: “Our team of inspectors and support staff are gathering evidence and undertaking a preliminary assessment of the accident to determine our next steps.”
The oil tanker was sailing under a US flag, while the Solong cargo ship was Portuguese-flagged, according to Marinetraffic.com.
The Solong had been due to travel to Rotterdam in the Netherlands after departing from Grangemouth in Scotland on Monday morning, Marinetraffic.com shows.
A map from Marinetraffic.com shows the oil tanker (red) and the cargo ship before the crash
Moving images on the tracking site suggest the oil tanker had remained stationary as the Solong headed straight towards it before the collision.
It is believed the Stena Immaculate, which was travelling from Greece to the UK, was anchored at the time.
David McFarlane, director Maritime Risk and Safety Consultants, told Sky News it can take up to an hour to raise an anchor – meaning the tanker might not have had time to get out of the way.
It comes as Martyn Boyers, chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East, said the container ship may have been on autopilot at the time of the crash.
“Autopilot just steers a course, they don’t deviate, there’s no bend in the sea,” he added.
The Portuguese-flagged vessel Solong. File pic: NAC
The US flagged Stena Immaculate. File pic: Kees Torn
Video shows smoke billowing from the ships. Pic: North Yorkshire Weather Updates
Visibility in the area had been poor before the collision this morning, according to the Met Office.
“Areas of fog and low cloud lifting as winds increase through the morning, with some warm, if rather hazy sunny spells expected in places for a time,” it said on Monday morning.
The crash involving a cargo ship and oil tanker off the East Yorkshire coast is bad news for the sea, fish and air in the area. What we don’t know yet is quite how bad it will be.
That depends on a few things – but the speed of the collision, clouds of filthy black smoke from the fires and the leaked fuel are certainly worrying.
Firstly, it matters what was on board those two massive vessels.
Follow live: Jet fuel spilling into sea after tanker collision
Analytics firm Vortexa estimates the 183m-long tanker was carrying about 130,000 barrels of jet fuel (kerosene), which is now leaking into the sea.
Jet fuel is not as sticky or viscous as heavier types of oil, thankfully, so it’s less likely to clog the feathers and fur of birds and seals. It can also be broken down by natural bacteria.
But it can still poison fish and kill animals and plants on the shoreline if it makes its way into the soil there.
The Marine Conservation Society has pointed out the site in the Humber estuary is close to some protected areas and is important for seabirds and harbour porpoises.
And both ships will have been powered by a dirtier, heavier kind of oil – likely marine gas oil or heavy fuel oil, though we don’t know the details yet.
Heavy fuel oil is nasty stuff.
Pic: Bartek Smialek/PA
Cheap, thick and tar-like, it can smother animals and is very dangerous if they consume it, and is extremely difficult to clean up. Let’s hope this isn’t creeping around the North Sea already.
We don’t know how much of either the jet fuel or the oil powering the ships has leaked, or how much will be burned off in the violent fires – which themselves are ploughing black smoke and filthy air pollution into the surrounding atmosphere.
And we don’t know for sure what was on the Solong cargo ship and if, or what, will go into the sea.
Cargo ship ‘had sodium cyanide on board’
It was carrying 15 containers of sodium cyanide among other cargo, according to a report from maritime data provider Lloyd’s List Intelligence.
The container vessel was also transporting an unknown quantity of alcohol, said the casualty report – an assessment of incidents at sea – citing a message from the local coastguard.
Plastic takes hundreds of years to break down, and potentially can choke or trap animals.
Many of us have seen that uncomfortable viral video of a turtle having a straw yanked out of its nose. Previous accidents on cargo ships have seen plastic Lego pieces wash up in Cornwall 25 years later.
Read more:
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Secondly, the impact depends on the sea and weather conditions around it.
Things like the wind and currents affect how an oil spill spreads in the sea. Scientists can draw up computer models to simulate how the oil could behave.
Thirdly, it matters how quickly this is all tackled and then cleaned up, if necessary, and if it can be.
Usually the slower the response, the worse the impact.
The coastguard has said the incident “remains ongoing” and it has started assessing the “likely counter pollution response” that will be required.
Such a response might need the help of numerous public bodies: the government environment department, the transport department, the Environment Agency and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
So for now the best we can hope for – aside from the welfare of the people involved – is that not all the oil is spilled or burnt, that conditions are calm and that rescuers and those cleaning up can work swiftly.
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