Force Research Unit

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The Force Research Unit (FRU) is a covert military intelligence unit established by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence under the British Army's Special Intelligence Wing (SIW) (along with the Joint Services School of Intelligence), originally based at Ashford in Kent and later moved to Chicksands, Bedfordshire. The FRU was formed between 1980 and 1981 to replace the Unit Intelligence Officers for Agent Running 1969 - 1978 and the Research Office 1978 - 1980. The FRU was based at the Intelligence Corps centre at Thiepval barracks, Northern Ireland from where its members recruited and handled agents. Its crest was a man with a net, its motto, "Fishers of Men".

The FRU and its members are alleged to been engaged in a policy of collusion with loyalist paramilitaries during the 1980s and 1990s, and to have contributed to the assassinations of at least 14 Roman Catholics in Northern Ireland between 1987 - 1991 along with the deaths of two senior members of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA). The FRU has since been renamed to the Joint Support Group (JSG).

The FRU was one of three British Army specialist units involved in combating the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) during the period, the others being 14 Intelligence Company, commonly know as the "Det", and 22nd (SAS) Regiment Special Air Service, although only the FRU was created specifically for work in Ireland.

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[edit] Recruitment process

The FRU recruits men and women of any rank from all three services of the British military. The age limit is currently set to forty two.[1] Volunteers undergo a pre-selection course where aptitude for intelligence gathering and agent handling is assessed. Successful applicants who pass pre-selection then attend advanced training at the Intelligence Corps headquarters at Chicksands, Bedfordshire, for a period of four months. Training includes driving and specialized weapons skills along with training deeply focused on the recruitment, handling, and running of intelligence agents and double agents. Successful candidates can expect a posting worldwide but Baghdad, Basra, and Afghanistan are particular areas of interest.

[edit] Northern Ireland 1980s-1990s

[edit] Brian Nelson

Brian Nelson - FRU agent and UDA Chief of Intelligence.
Brian Nelson - FRU agent and UDA Chief of Intelligence.

Nelson is known to have been a key FRU agent during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He operated as a British Army spy in the early 1980s but was recruited back into the army in 1987. His former handlers then asked him to infiltrate loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland. On his return to Northern Ireland Nelson is said to have simultaneously worked as the FRU agent codenamed "6137" and as Chief of Intelligence of the loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Defense Association (UDA). As part of his efforts he is known to have gathered a considerable amount of intelligence on republican suspects, PIRA volunteers, and Catholics unconnected with paramilitary activity. When asked by the UDA for an assassination target, Nelson would consult his index system, select a target, check the victim's movements and then pass this information to the assassins. He was also involved in surveillance and intelligence gathering on suspected PIRA members.

Brian Nelson was found guilty on 11 counts of possession of documents, three of collecting information, one of possession of firearms with intent and five counts of conspiracy to murder. Sentenced to ten years imprisonment, he was permitted to serve the bulk of his sentence in England. He was released in August 1996 after serving less than four years in prison.[2]

[edit] Alleged collusion with Loyalist paramilitaries

[edit] Killing of Pat Finucane, 1989

Pat Finucane, a solicitor, uninvolved in paramilitary activity, was shot dead in his home by masked men on 12 February 1989. The loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) later claimed his death as having been carried out by their members.[3]

It is alleged that Nelson supplied details of Finucane's address and photograph with the knowledge and cooperation of the FRU to the man later convicted of his murder, Ken Barrett.[4] Both Barrett and William Stobie, (Quartermaster of the UDA's West Belfast Brigade, who supplied the murder weapon), were Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) Special Branch informers at the time.

[edit] Killing of Terence McDaid, 1988

Terence McDaid was a Catholic uninvolved in any paramilitary activity. Terence McDaid was shot dead by masked men at his North Belfast home on 10 May 1988. The UFF later claimed his death as having been carried out by their members.[5]

Before Brian Nelson's trial in 1992, he was initially charged in connection with the murder of Terence McDaid but this charge was eventually dropped. Press reports at the time claimed Nelson had struck a deal to plead guilty to 20 offences in return for the withdrawal of this murder allegation.

It is alleged that the FRU gave details of Terence McDaid’s home address to Brian Nelson with the purpose that he would subsequently pass them to the UDA, knowing the UDA would then attempt to kill McDaid. Brian Nelson is known to have warned his FRU handlers on several occasions that the UDA was targeting two of Terence McDaid’s brothers, Aidan and Declan. The FRU is also alleged to have passed information to the RUC in an attempt to prevent the murder of Terence McDaid but it is thought to have been insufficient.

Following legal action taken by Terence McDaid's widow, she received monetary compensation from the MoD as a result of the FRU's involvement in her husbands assassination. Mrs. McDaid also received monetary compensation from the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) as a result of the RUC's involvement in her husbands assassination.

[edit] Killing of Gerard Slane, 1988

Gerard Slane was a Catholic uninvolved with paramilitary activities. He was shot dead by masked men at his West Belfast home on 23 September 1988. The UFF later claimed his death as having been carried out by their members.[6]

Before Brian Nelson's trial in 1992, he was initially charged in connection with the murder of Gerard Slane but this charge was eventually dropped. Press reports at the time claimed Nelson had struck a deal to plead guilty to 20 offences in return for the withdrawal of this murder allegation.

During Brian Nelson's trial the prosecution lawyer stated that Nelson had told his handlers within the FRU that the UDA was targeting Slane ten days before his killing. Following legal action taken by Gerard Slane's widow, she received monetary compensation from the MoD as a result of the FRU's involvement in her husbands assassination. Mrs. Slane also received monetary compensation from the NIO as a result of the RUC's involvement in her husbands assassination.

[edit] FRU activity on Tasking and Co-ordination Group

The FRU is known to have secured restriction orders in advance of a number of loyalist paramilitary attacks in order to facilitate easy access to and escape from their target.[7] The FRU attended the weekly meetings of the Tasking and Co-ordination Group (TCG), a group responsible for liaison between all the different security forces including the RUC, MI5 and the British Army. In certain instances it is claimed the FRU asked for restriction orders to be placed on areas where they knew loyalist paramilitaries were going to strike.[8]

Both the McDaid and Slane families reported the presence and then sudden disappearance of British Army/RUC patrols in their area leading up to both murders. A similar pattern of unusually high British army activity immediately prior to a murder by loyalist terrorists has been seen in other cases, for example the murder of Rosemary Nelson in Lurgan. The implication is that the Tasking and Co-ordination Group, composed of senior RUC and British military personnel, were complicit in the activities of the FRU and loyalist paramilitaries and enabled their unrestricted movement to take place by removing non FRU supervised British Army/RUC patrols from the areas.

[edit] Alleged infiltration of Republican paramilitaries

[edit] "Stakeknife"

FRU are also alleged to have handled agents within Republican paramilitary groups. A number of agents are suspected to have been handled by the FRU including IRA units who planted bombs and assassinated. Attacks are said to have taken place involving FRU controlled agents highly placed within the PIRA. The main agent to have been uncovered so far was codenamed "Stakeknife". There is a debate as to whether this agent is PIRA member Freddie Scappaticci or another, as yet unidentified, PIRA member.[9] Nevertheless, it is alleged that "Stakeknife" was directed to facilitate the murder of individuals targeted by the FRU. "Stakeknife's" handler within the FRU was David Moyles.

"Stakeknife" is thought to have been a member of the PIRA's Internal Security Unit- a unit responsible for counter-intelligence, interrogation and court martial of informers within the IRA. It is believed that "Stakeknife" was used by the FRU to influence the outcome of investigations conducted by the PIRA's Internal Security Unit into the activities of PIRA volunteers.

It is alleged that in 1997 the UDA came into possession of details relating to the identity of the FRU controlled PIRA volunteer codenamed "Stakeknife". It is further alleged that the UDA, unaware of this PIRA volunteers value to the FRU, planned to assassinate him. It is alleged that after the FRU discovered "Stakeknife" was in danger from UDA assassination they used Brian Nelson to persuade the UDA to assassinate Roman Catholic Francisco Notarantonio instead- a Belfast pensioner who had been interned in the 1940s.[10] The killing of Notarantonio was claimed by the UFF at the time.[11] Following the killing of Notarantonio, unaware of the involvement of the FRU, the PIRA assassinated two UDA leaders in reprisal attacks. It has been alleged that the FRU secretly passed details of the two UDA leaders to the PIRA via "Stakeknife" in an effort to distract attention from "Stakeknife" as a possible informer.

[edit] Killings of Burns, Dignam and Starrs, 1992

The PIRA admitted killing Gregory Burns, John Dignam and Aidan Starrs on 2 July 1992. They subsequently released detailed signed confessions and even a tape recording of Dignam's confession claiming the Portadown men were informers for MI5 and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) Special Branch.[12]

There is evidence to suggest that at least one of John Dignam’s two associates were agents for the FRU and that all four killings could have been prevented.[citation needed] The successor organisation to the RUC, the Police Service of Northern Ireland's (PSNI) Historical Enquiries Team is investigating the killings of Burns, Dignam, and Starrs as part of their investigation into the activities of Freddie Scappaticci, who has denied all involvement with the FRU. In early 2007 the parents of Aidan Starrs made an official compliant to the Police Ombudsman, Nuala O'Loan, asking for a collusion inquiry type investigation of the circumstances surrounding her sons murder and asking for her representation in presenting their complaints to the RUC. [13]

[edit] FRU and the Stevens Inquiry

During the Stevens Inquiry into collusion between the British military intelligence and Loyalist paramilitaries, the offices of the investigation were destroyed in an arson attack. Subsequently a former FRU member operating under the pseudonym Martin Ingram revealed that the FRU had arranged the arson attack to destroy evidence on FRU activities collected by Stevens' team.[14] Another former FRU member named Philip Campbell Smith was arrested by detectives from the Stevens team in November 2000 for threatening to reveal Martin Ingram's address and for attempting to coerce Ingram into not cooperating with the Stevens Inquiry.

Brian Nelson's FRU intelligence handler at the time and the person who supervised and directed his activities is alleged to have been Captain Margaret Walshaw. The officer commanding FRU at the time is known to have been Gordon Kerr then ranked Lt. Colonel. During the Stevens inquiry Kerr's name and role in the FRU was made public. It has been speculated that to avoid public embarrassment which might occur over the Stevens Report, the British Government and military promoted Gordon Kerr to the rank of Brigadier and posted him to the post of military attaché at the British embassy in Beijing, China. It is also possible that this was to prevent Kerr's assassination by the PIRA.

Gordon Kerr testified in Brian Nelsons defence during Nelson's 1992 trial, His testimony was given in his professional capacity as then Colonel when he stated:

"Brian Nelson was loyal to the [British] Army...."

and that

"He [Nelson] wished to help the [British] Army in its attempts to counter terrorism and to save life. He wanted to save life."[15]

On 13 February 2003, Sir John Stevens confirmed he had prepared papers for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in relation to Gordon Kerr but stopped short of recommending Kerr be prosecuted, saying this was a matter for the DPP.

[edit] Alleged FRU members

Allegations on membership of the FRU have surfaced mainly via a security website titled Cryptome.org. Cryptome.org host a cropped group photograph showing FRU members in regimental dinner dress.[16]

  • Cryptome alleged that the Conservative Member of Parliament Patrick Mercer was a FRU operative while serving in Northern Ireland. In the Cryptome groupshot of FRU operatives it is claimed that Mercer is pictured sitting fourth from the left in the front row.[17] Mercer has spoken on the subject of Northern Ireland a number of times in the British House of Commons and on 14 May 2003 stated:

"There has been a campaign, and a campaign is about killing people if necessary and deterring people because it has to be done. That is not the sort of campaign that we have just seen in Iraq; it is by definition a dirty campaign"[18]

  • Brigadier Gordon Kerr is currently directing the Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) in Iraq, and testified in defense of Brian Nelson at his trial. Kerr is a former serving member of the Gordon Highlanders Regiment and former member of 14th Intelligence. He was a senior instructor with the SIW between 1985 - 1986 and then moved to Northern Ireland as commander of the FRU. In the Cryptome groupshot of FRU operatives it is claimed that Kerr is pictured sitting close to the center of the cropped image, front row directly in front of the long haired woman who is alleged to be Cpt. Margaret Walshaw. Remarks attributed to Kerr on the topic of counter insurgency appeared in the Scottish newspaper The Sunday Herald:

"You go in, and you go in heavy. Raise the temperature on the ground to boiling point and then reduce it fast. That means you hurt your enemy so hard that you reduce the risk of casualties on your side. Then you step back quickly. That means the enemy is constantly in a state of terror and panic. It's an old SAS tactic."[19]

  • Philip Campbell Smith, author, is an alleged former FRU member who is known to have made threats against the ex-FRU member using the pseudonym "Martin Ingram". Smith was reportedly arrested by the Stevens Inquiry team in November 2000 for threatening Ingram. The threats were apparently made against Ingram to prevent him from speaking to the Stevens Inquiry and eminated from a group calling itself "friends of FRU".[20] Shortly after this, around 17 December 2000, Ingram withdrew his statements from Sir Stevens inquiry into collusion between Loyalist paramilitaries, RUC, and British Army. Campbell Smith is not reported by Cryptome to be in the groupshot.
  • Retired Colonel John Hughes-Wilson is also alleged to be the former commander of the FRU in Northern Ireland during the period collusion took place.[21] Hughes-Wilson is the author of several articles and books, on intelligence and the military, and has been interviewed on Sky News.[22] Hughes-Wilson subsequently rejected the allegation that he was a FRU member and threatened legal action against the Cryptome.org website in May 2006. As of February 2007 no legal action by Hughes-Wilson has been reported by Cryptome.org. Hughes-Wilson is not reported by Cryptome to be in the groupshot.
  • Captain Margaret Walshaw is alleged to have been the FRU member who handled Brian Nelson and directed his activities while still a sergeant. On 1 April 1998, Walshaw was promoted from the ranks to become an officer. Walshaw has also been awarded the "British Empire Medal" for her services in Northern Ireland.[23] In the Cryptome groupshot of FRU operatives it is claimed that Walshaw is the long haired woman in the center row.[24]
  • A person using the name "Kevin Fulton" is suspected of being a FRU mole placed within the PIRA. He has given a number of interviews on the subject and his involvement with the PIRA, most recently in March 2006. He has alleged that despite knowing that the Omagh bombing was in preparation, the British Army/RUC allowed it to take place.[25] Fulton is not reported by Cryptome to be pictured in the groupshot.

[edit] JSG in Iraq 2003-present

In February 2007 it was reported that the FRU, now renamed to the Joint Support Group (JSG), had been operating from within the coalition controlled "Green Zone" in Baghdad, Iraq since 2003. The activities of the unit since 2003 were described as being "responsible for running dozens of Iraqi double agents".[26]

In particular the FRU is credited in the article with gathering intelligence which lead to;

The FRU is also tasked with sifting of intelligence from an anonymous telephone "hot line" operated in Baghdad and where applicable meeting with tipsters inside the "Green Zone". The media report states: "dozens of Iraqis every week who are -prepared, for a variety of reasons, to become informers [to the FRU]." The report also indicates that the FRU deals with members of the insurgency who approach them:

We also have to deal with terrorists [Iraqi insurgents] and that presents us with a difficulty. We are happy for them to pass us information but it is made absolutely clear to them that as a member of a terrorist group they are criminals and they should cease all activity immediately - we have had cases where Shia or Sunni men have provided us with information and as part of the debriefing process we have discovered that they are terrorists themselves. We warn them that they are running the risk of being killed or captured and that they should get themselves into a position within the organisation where they will not be directly involved in murder."

The media report does not state whether individuals identified as terrorists are apprehended, nor does the report state whether the FRU runs agents within insurgent groups, or encourages assassination of insurgents which the FRU targets. However other comparisons are made with the activities of the FRU in Northern Ireland.

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ As of February 2007.
  2. ^ Recently released (3 May 2006) British Government documents show that overlapping membership also existed between British Army units like the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) and loyalist paramilitary groups. The documents include a report entitled "Subversion in the UDR" which details the problem. In 1973, an estimated 5-15% of UDR soldiers were directly linked to loyalist paramilitary groups; it was believed that the "best single source of weapons, and the only significant source of modern weapons, for Protestant extremist groups was the UDR"; it was feared UDR troops were loyal to "Ulster" alone rather than to "Her Majesty's Government"; and the British Government knew that UDR weapons were being used in the assassination and attempted assassination of Roman Catholic civilians by loyalist paramilitaries. Despite knowing this, the British Government stepped up the role of the UDR in "maintaining order" within Northern Ireland throughout the 1970s and 1980s as part of its wider "Normalisation, Ulsterisation, and Criminalisation" strategy to quell the violence. May 2, 2006 edition of the Irish News available here.
  3. ^ Pat Finucane's death at CAIN Sutton database here.
  4. ^ Barrett was subsequently jailed for a minimum of 22 years after pleading guilty to the charge of murder in 2004. He was released after serving under 2 years in prison on 23 May 2006
  5. ^ Terence McDaid's death at CAIN Sutton database here.
  6. ^ Gerard Slane death at CAIN Sutton database here.
  7. ^ Restriction orders are agreements made between each branch of the forces overseeing security in Belfast not to patrol or surveil a certain area at a certain time.
  8. ^ The allegation that the FRU sought restriction orders to enable assassination attempts to take place unhindered is made in The book, "Ten-Thirty Three", by Nick Davies ISBN 1-84018-343-8.
  9. ^ Scappaticci denies the allegations and in May 2003 began legal action to force the then NI Secretary of State, Jane Kennedy, to deny he is/was a British Agent see here for details. At this point (May 2006) Scappaticci has launched no libel actions against media making the allegations. There is also suspicion in Irish republican circles that the real "Stakeknife" and/or other British agents have yet to be unmasked, this suspicion was compounded by the revelation that Denis Donaldson was a mole within Sinn Féin/the Republican movement, and by interviews given by the man calling himself "Kevin Fulton" in March 2006.
  10. ^ According to the article title 'My unit conspired in the murder of civilians in Ireland' - by Neil Mackay, the officer in the FRU who passed Notarantonio's details to Nelson was "Captain M" assumed to be Cpt. Margaret Walshaw.
  11. ^ Details on the Death of Notarantonio available on CAIN Sutton here.
  12. ^ The PIRA claims the three men killed Margaret Perry, who they say was having an affair with Burns. The PIRA says they killed Perry because she had threatened to expose the 3 men's links to British Intelligence to the PIRA. A copy of the confession tape is available here.
  13. ^ SundayLife January 28 2007 [1]
  14. ^ Martin Ingram has made a number of allegations in recent years and authored a book titled "Stakeknife: Britain's Secret Agents in Ireland." O'Brien Press, 2004. He has conducted a number of interviews with Irish & British media about his time in the FRU. The most recent interview being with the Irish Sunday Tribune, February 20, 2006. Ingram is also a frequent contributor to the Slugger O'Toole website under the same pseudonym.
  15. ^ Transcript of Colonel Gordon Kerr's testimony at Brian Nelson's trial January 1992here.
  16. ^ Cryptome.org host the image here.
  17. ^ See Cryptome.org detail available here.
  18. ^ Slugger O'Toole.com collection of Patrick Mercer quotes
  19. ^ A remark made by Kerr as reported by a Sunday Herald source inside the FRU. As appearing in an article titled 'My unit conspired in the murder of civilians in Ireland' - by Neil Mackay Sunday Herald 19 Nov 2000
  20. ^ See Sunday Herald report from November 2000 reproduced here.
  21. ^ Allegation against John Hughes-Wilson and images.
  22. ^ His work includes Military Intelligence Blunders, Carroll & Graf Publishers, February 2000, ISBN 0786707151
  23. ^ See report in 2001 edition of North Belfast News reproduced here.
  24. ^ Allegation made by Cryptome at group shot page available here.
  25. ^ See here for BBC News24 'HardTalk' interview with "Kevin Fulton". See here for statement made by "KF" (widely believed to be "Kevin Fulton").
  26. ^ See Top secret army cell breaks terrorists Sunday Telegraph 05/02/2007 here

[edit] External links

[edit] See also

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