MI5's alleged failure to disclose the true extent of Freddie Scappaticci's activities as the double agent known as Stakeknife has stunned the public and reignited decades-old demands for justice.
A new report from Operation Kenova, the £40 million, nine-year investigation into the notorious IRA spy, reveals that the agency withheld critical files, ignored hundreds of intelligence warnings, and protected an agent implicated in murder, torture and abduction.
For families of the Troubles, the findings confirm what many feared: the state may have enabled a cover-up that cost innocent lives.
Key Findings Of The Kenova Final Report
An operations team known as Operation Kenova, a nine-year, £40 million investigation, provided a final report stating that MI5 had withheld critical files and had not acted on hundreds of intelligence reports given by Stakeknife, who is widely believed to be Freddie Scappaticci.
The investigators found over 3,500 intelligence briefings involving Stakeknife, including more than 300 created within 18 months. Nonetheless, the report found that it was more likely that lives were lost rather than saved, implying that the agent was time and again given precedence over the possible victims.
The flaws in MI5's handling only became known when previously concealed details were released in 2024 and 2025, eight years after the operation Kenava started.
Who Was Stakeknife, And What Did He Do?
Stakeknife was a senior member of the IRA Internal Security, the so-called 'nutting squad,' which used to interrogate, torture and kill suspected informers within the republican organisation.
At the time, he was a double agent with MI5; it is reported that he was directly involved in at least 14 murders and 15 abductions. What's more, his handlers arranged for him several holidays outside Northern Ireland when he was wanted by police for murder, helping him elude interrogations.
Although it is believed to have been Freddie Scappaticci, who died in 2023 at the age of 77, the UK Government is still relying on its 'neither confirm nor deny' (NCND) policy to withhold official confirmation.
Families Demand The Truth And Justice
Senior policemen have, in the immediate aftermath of the report's release, demanded that the Government should give up NCND and publicly identify Stakeknife. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher firmly stated the refusal to confirm the identity as 'bordering on farce.'
The families of the victims, some of whom have longed for decades for justice, reported that the revelations were somewhat 'devastating' and 'vindicating', yet depressing that prosecutions will not be pursued. The final report builds on the previous findings and proposes 10 recommendations, including formal apologies from the republican movement and the UK Government.
Despite overwhelming evidence, the prosecutors at the Public Prosecution Service of Northern Ireland (PPSNI) have indicated that no charges will be brought because the evidence on admissibility is insufficient.
MI5's Response — Apology But No Responsibility
The Director General of MI5, Sir Ken McCallum, expressed his sympathy to the victims and families of people who were tortured or killed in the Troubles.
A review of the same by an ex-senior officer of the Metropolitan Police, commissioned following the new disclosures, concluded that MI5 had not intentionally concealed material, though it did criticise the agency's historical information-management practices, especially concerning Northern Ireland records.
Critics claim this justification rings hollow: the belated revelations were made many years after major prosecution and investigation judgments, rendering them practically useless for serving justice.
Why Kenova Report Matters: Trust, Legacy and Accountability
For many, the Operation Keneva revelations reveal systemic betrayal from the state security agencies against the public they were meant to serve. That MI5 purposefully chose to take a risk on protecting a murderer at the cost of innocent lives cuts to the heart of responsibility and institutional trust.
The Kenova report not only weakens confidence in MI5 but also in the UK government's handling of legacy cases from the Troubles. The report is now seen as a landmark document which strengthens calls for a full acknowledgement of Stakeknife's identity, something victims' families say must happen for healing to begin.
