Force Research Unit

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Force Research Unit (FRU) is alleged to be a name used by a covert military intelligence unit established by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence in the Intelligence Corps of the British Army based at Templer Barracks, Ashford in Kent. The FRU is alleged to have been formed between 1980 and 1981 replacing an existing unit as an agent handling capability. The FRU is claimed to have been based at the Intelligence Corps centre at Thiepval Barracks, Northern Ireland from where its members recruited and handled agents.

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[1] along with the deaths of two senior members of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA).

Contents

[edit] Northern Ireland 1980s-1990s

[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.[2]

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.[3] 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. He is believed to have been a victim of mistaken identity and not the intended target.[4]

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.[citation needed]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.[citation needed]

Following legal action taken by 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 husband's 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, also a victim of mistaken identity, as it was a cousin with the same surname who was the intended target.[citation needed] 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 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.[6] 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.[7]

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 killing of solicitor Rosemary Nelson in Lurgan.[citation needed]

[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.[citation needed]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.[8]

"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 Francisco Notarantonio instead, a Belfast pensioner who had been interned as an Irish republican in the 1940s.[9] The killing of Notarantonio was claimed by the UFF at the time.[10] 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.[11]

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.[12]

[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.[13] 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.[citation needed]

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. 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."[14]

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] References

  1. ^ According to a former British military intelligence officer who served with the FRU, "there's no doubt about this. My unit was guilty of conspiring in the murder of civilians in Northern Ireland, on about 14 occasions." See article by Neil Mackay, 'My unit conspired in the murder of civilians in Ireland', Sunday Herald, 19 Novemeber 2000. [1]
  2. ^ Pat Finucane's death at CAIN Sutton database here.
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ Terence McDaid's death at CAIN Sutton database here.
  5. ^ Gerard Slane death at CAIN Sutton database here.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Details on the Death of Notarantonio available on CAIN Sutton here.
  11. ^ 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 three men's links to British Intelligence to the Provisional IRA. A copy of the confession tape is available here.
  12. ^ SundayLife January 28 2007 [2]
  13. ^ Martin Ingramhas made a number of allegations in recent years and authored a book, 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.
  14. ^ Transcript of Colonel Gordon Kerr's testimony at Brian Nelson's trial January 1992here.

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