Recruitment attempt exposed
By Sean O'Tuama
attempt last week by British Intelligence to recruit a taxi
driver from the Markets area of Belfast failed when the man was
advised by a Sinn Fein worker to go public.
The six week operation involved up to four undercover agents. The
initial contact was initiated by an Englishman calling himself
Mike Wiley posing as a second hand car dealer. After six weeks of
giving the driver hefty tips and double fares for journeys around
Belfast, Mallusk and Portadown, the taxi driver was sent to
collect two men from the Larne ferry. En route the two men
identified themselves as British intelligence agents and asked
him to supply them with information about the views of people in
the Lower Ormeau area and the Markets in the run up to the
marching season.
In an interview with An Phoblacht the cabbie detailed the events
that afternoon, Wednesday 29 May.
The agents revealed their true occupation while he was taking
them to Belfast International airport shortly after the taximan
had become aware that two cars were behind him. He consistently
refused their offers of money including one of ``whatever you
want, we can get.'' At the routine RUC checkpoint near the
terminal the British agent `Sean' put his hand against his pocket
and said ``Do not give us away, for your own safety.''
Before they departed another agent recited a detailed list of the
cabbie's recent movements and employment history. Ominously, the
MI5 men mentioned a butcher's shop that the driver had worked for
and where they claimed he had been the intended target of a
loyalist death squad. Eventually the gang left the taxi, leaving
the driver a contact number.
He went straight to his home in the Markets and contacted a Sinn
Fein member who advised him to go public with the affair.
The man's solicitor, Ciaran Steel, rang the number and asked for
one of the agents using the name they had given to the driver.
When the agent came to the phone the solicitor revealed the name
of his client only to be told that it meant nothing to the spy.
Mr Steel confirmed that he would be writing to senior officers in
both the British Army and RUC about the operation. Speaking last
Thursday he said ``I intend to lodge complaints with the RUC and
military at what has been a very lengthy and complicated attempt
to recruit somebody by drawing the person into what appeared to
be quite a legitimate business and which went on for several
weeks before any actual overtures were made until they thought
they had their victim in their pocket.''
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