Republican News · Thursday 15 May 2003

Brits must come clean on dirty war

Belfast man denies allegations amid media frenzy

Sinn Féin's Gerry Kelly on Wednesday evening called for complete disclosure of files and documents relating to Britain's dirty war in Ireland. He was speaking after Alfredo 'Freddie' Scapatticci, the Belfast man accused throughout the media at the weekend of being a senior British agent in the IRA known as 'Stakeknife', spoke to ther media to deny all allegations against him.

Gerry Kelly said that the media had been manipulated by faceless people intent upon damaging the political process. "What I am arguing for is that files need to be opened on those faceless and nameless people," he said.

"All I know is that the people who made the accusations certainly have an agenda in doing so."

On Wednesday afternoon, Freddie Scapatticci spoke to journalists Brian Rowan and Anne Cadwallader in the Falls Road office of his solicitor, Michael Flanigan. In a statement, Flanigan said his client had not been in hiding, had not left the Six Counties and would be issuing defamation proceedings. He had been forced to leave his home on Sunday morning "solely because of the media onslaught on his character". The solicitor added that the allegations had been published with no regard for his client's position or the harm it could cause to him or his family.

"The past three days have been very traumatic for Mr Scapatticci and his family," said Flanigan. "He now intends to resume his private life."

Speaking after his solicitor's statement, Scapatticci said:

"I am sitting here today with my solicitor and I am telling you I am not guilty of any of these allegations.

"I have not left Northern Ireland since I was challenged by reporters on Saturday night.

"Nobody has had the decency to ask me if any of these allegations were true and why the police had not come to question me about these allegations."

Responding to questions, Scapatticci said he did not know why the allegations had been made. He said he was not an active member of the republican movement. "I was involved in the republican movement 13 years ago but I have had no involvement this past 13 years," he said.

Commenting afterwards, Sinn Féin representative Gerry Kelly said:

"Last weekend, British Intelligence comprehensively briefed the British and Irish media. Faceless and nameless securocrats in British Intelligence made a raft of serious but unsubstantiated allegations against Freddie Scapatticci.

"This storm of accusations and allegations against Freddie Scapatticci has been accepted and repeated as fact by a large section of the media without question, without criticism. Mr Scapatticci has denied the allegations in categoric terms. These allegations were made by the same people who:

• killed Pat Finucane;
• ran Brian Nelson and used him and other agents to control and direct loyalist death squads against republicans, nationalists and Catholics;
• continue to control and direct the unionist paramilitaries;
• continue to target and gather intelligence, not just on Sinn Féin, but also on their own government;
• at every turn of the peace process maliciously leak and brief misinformation to create crises and to bolster anti-Agreement elements.

"Even before these recent events, there was a clear need for full disclosure of the activities of these faceless and unaccountable agencies. That case is now overwhelming. The files must be opened up. There must be full disclosure."