&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Who is Stakeknife? The dead 'double agent' UK continues to shield")
On Monday (Feb 9), the Westminster Committee report urged the UK government to unmask British intelligence agent Stakeknife and publicly reveal his name. 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.
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.
Who is Agent Stakeknife?
The agent codenamed Stakeknife has been linked to 14 murders and 15 abductions. Though he passed away in 2023 at the age of 77, he 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. Stakeknife was viewed as the ‘golden egg’ as he operated within the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Northern Ireland and even rose in rank. During the decades-long conflict, the period was called ‘The Troubles’, in which more than 3,500 people were killed.
He was originally recruited by the British Army's secretive intelligence wing in 1978. Two years later, the Force Research Unit (FRU) was formed, a secretive branch of military intelligence, where he became the most elite asset. ‘Golden egg’ and 'jewel in the crown' were names used for him.
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Also read: Reveal identity of dead spy: Pressure mounts on UK government to release data on Agent Stakeknife
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.
