Agent who ‘committed grotesque, serious crime’ is widely believed to have been Freddie Scappaticci, who died in 2023

The UK government has been urged to name the army’s top spy in the Provisional IRA after an independent investigation into his activities.

Operation Kenova found that more lives were probably lost than saved through the operation of Stakeknife, an agent who “committed grotesque, serious crime” including torture and murder.

The agent Stakeknife is widely believed to have been Freddie Scappaticci, a west Belfast man who was 77 when he died in 2023.

Frederico “Freddie” Scappaticci is born in Belfast, the son of Italian immigrants.