Operation Kenova

Operation Kenova is an ongoing criminal investigation into whether the Royal Ulster Constabulary in Northern Ireland failed to investigate as many as 18 murders in order to protect a high level double agent codenamed Stakeknife who worked for the Force Research Unit, while at the same time he was deeply embedded and trusted within the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA).^[1] The investigation started in 2017, headed up by Jon Boutcher the former Chief Constable of Bedfordshire Police until his appointment as Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in 2023.^[2] It is now led by Iain Livingstone, former Chief Constable of Police Scotland.^[3]

Stakeknife, a Government asset and widely acknowledged to be Freddie Scappaticci led the IRA Internal Security Unit, also known as the Nutting Squad that had killed around thirty people while Scappaticci was involved with it.^[1] Senior British officers had referred to Stakeknife as the "golden egg" due to the calibre of information he supplied.^[1]

Research by the BBC television programme Panorama suggested that Stakeknife was so highly prized that other agents were sacrificed to conceal his identity.^[1] Panorama claimed that Joseph Fenton was executed by the IRA despite Stakeknife informing his handlers that Fenton was to be killed.^[1] The authorities failed to react and did nothing to prevent the murder.^[1]

In July 2020 Boutcher expressed concern with the British Government's idea to close most legacy investigations and provide full investigations into only a few. He questioned whether the plan complied with the law.^[2]

A year later, investigators working for Kenova announced that they had obtained new DNA evidence relating to the murder of Thomas Oliver.^[4][5]

On 8 March 2024, the Kenova interim report by Boutcher was published. On Stakeknife, it says, "The number of lives he saved is between high single figures and low double figures and nowhere near hundreds". He cost more lives than he ever saved. He was involved in criminality, terror and murders, that could not be defended. Boutcher said Scappaticci should have been prosecuted and called upon the Government and Republicans to apologise to all of the affected families who had suffered abduction and murder. The interim report lists a total of ten recommendations.^[6]

The Kenova investigation has so far taken seven years and cost over £40,000,000. Northern Ireland first minister Michelle O'Neill reiterated her apologies for all the lives that were lost, during The Troubles.^[7] David Cameron, the foreign secretary, stated that the Government's position was to await the Kenova final report, before taking any decisions.

Operation Denton is an offshoot of Operation Kenova which examines actions of the Glenanne gang and its links with security forces.^[8] It was initially headed by Jon Boutcher.^[8]

In May 2024 Iain Livingstone, now head of Operation Denton, said that there was no doubt that there was collusion in the Glenanne series from those in British authorities.^[9] He told RTE ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings^[10] that his team would ‘define the character, the nature and the extent of that collusion’ and their assessment would be included in its report which is expected in 2025.

In August 2024, Iain Livingstone, former head of Operation Kenova, announced that MI5 had not disclosed all material it had on Stakeknife before Operation Kenova published a report earlier in 2024.^[9] He said that he and Jon Boutcher, the former head of Kenova, had previously stated that they believed that they had been given access to all files that MI5 had in relation to Stakeknife.^[9] He wrote a letter expressing his concerns to Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn, former head of Operation Kenova Jon Boucher, the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland and the head of MI5.^[9] There are several hundreds of pages of undisclosed file and the search is ongoing.^[9] Some may identify new leads and cast doubt on evidence obtained by Operation Kenova.^[9] Based on an initial assessment he claimed that the files related to Stakeknife and not to other Kenova investigations, including Denton.^[9]

Sinn Féin MP John Finucane said it was "disgraceful and unsurprising" that British security services had withheld information from the inquiry.^[9] He also said that "As the British government's shameful Legacy Act was enacted to close down families’ access to the civil and criminal courts, British intelligence services have delayed the release of information to families who have waited for the truth for decades," and "The discovery that MI5 did not disclose vital information to the Kenova Inquiry may now further delay the publication of the full report into the investigation. This revelation will add to the trauma and the anguish of families of the victims, and I am calling on the investigation to process the new information as thoroughly and as quickly as possible".^[9]

Baroness O'Loan, a member of Kenova's steering committee said MI5 had behaved "appallingly".^[11] She also said that the new material may alter what families had been told previously.^[11] She added that "MI5 should never have put the families in this position" and "This could be retraumatising... I think it is absolutely disgraceful."^[11]

Originally the final Kenova report was to have been published before Christmas 2024 but it has been delayed to 2025 to assess the newly-disclosed material.^[11]

• Official website