14 murders, 15 abductions: Britain's most prized asset Agent Stakeknife in Irish army
On Monday (Feb 9), the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee urged the government to reveal the identity of Stakeknife, agent of British military intelligence who worked and rose in rank in the Irish Army. Here's more on Freddie Scappaticci's connection, and the end of the NCND policy.
Case of dead double agent
Agent Stakeknife passed away in 2023 at the age of 77. The ghost of the agent is still being shielded by the British army and MI5, the former is said to be his handler, and the latter would route tasks through them.
Who is Stakeknife?
On Monday (Feb 9), the UK government was under pressure to name the British army agent, Stakeknife, who led the operation orchestrated to torture and carry out killings while undercover with the Irish Republican Army (IRA). During a parliamentary discussion, the committee called on the government to name the agent.
Stakeknife operated inside the IRA in Northern Ireland; this was during the decades-long conflict. The period was called ‘The Troubles’, in which more than 3,500 people were killed.
Big revelations in ‘Operation Kenova’
In December 2025, a UK police investigation into the affair called ‘Operation Kenova’ produced a final report. This document made big revelations. The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee report accuses the UK government of using national security policies to ‘cover up’ state wrongdoing. As the state has been using the neither confirm nor deny (NCND) policy to keep the agent's identity under wraps.
The spy who turned spycatcher
Agent Stakeknife reached a level where he began heading the IRA's unit, where he was recruited into the Internal Security Unit (ISU), which was also called the ‘nutting squad’. This unit was tasked to weed out moles in the system. ‘Operation Kenova’s’ final report pointed out that on occasions, Stakeknife even wiped out his own colleagues to keep his cover safe. Gaining trust within the IRA and also becoming the enemy of his own, he was called a double agent.
The agent has been linked to 14 murders and 15 abductions.
The partial unmasking
In 2003, he was named in several newspapers as Freddie Scappaticci, a resident of Belfast. The agent, also known as the British Army’s and MI5’s ‘golden egg’, was active from the 1970s until the early 90s.
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