Who are MI5, ‘with their finger in so many dirty pies’?

IRA victim family’s anger as MI5 ‘bids to block’ Stakeknife reports

Connla Young, Crime and Security Correspondent, Irish News, June 30th, 2025

RELATIVES of a man shot dead and secretly buried by the IRA have reacted angrily amid claims MI5 has attempted to block the release of 13 family reports linked to the activities of British agent Stakeknife.

The family of Eugene Simons was recently told the long-awaited release of an individual family report by Operation Kenova has been held up by MI5.

Mr Simons, a father of three, was one of ‘The Disappeared’ – a group of people abducted, killed and secretly buried by the IRA.

Originally from the Castlewellan area of Co Down, the 26-year-old was taken by the IRA in January 1981.

His remains were accidentally discovered buried in a bog near Dundalk, Co Louth, in May 1984.

His family say they have never been given an explanation by the IRA as to why he was killed and secretly buried.

His case is one of dozens examined by Operation Kenova.

It was established in 2016 to investigate the activities of the British agent known as Stakeknife – identified as Belfast man Freddie Scappaticci in 2003.

A former commander of the IRA’s Internal Security Unit (ISU), Scappaticci has been linked to 14 murders and 15 abductions.

Also known as the ‘Nutting Squad’, the ISU was responsible for hunting down and killing informers during the Troubles.

An interim report into Scappaticci’s activities was published last year, with a final version yet to be made public.

As part of the Operation Kenova investigation, relatives of some victims are to be provided with bespoke family reports.

At a Policing Board meeting in May, the head of Operation Kenova, Sir Iain Livingstone, confirmed that the British Cabinet Office had given the go-ahead for 26 family reports to be distributed, some of which have already been delivered.

 PIRA victim’s family voice anger amid claims MI5 attempted to block Stakeknife reports

However, it has now been suggested MI5 has attempted to block the release of 13 of these individual reports.

It emerged last year the spy agency had failed to disclose hundreds of pages including “significant new information” to the Operation Kenova team.

While it was previously known Scappaticci worked for the British army’s Force Research Unit (FRU), documents suppressed by MI5 confirm he was instructed by the agency via his military handlers.

Moira Todd, a sister of Mr Simons, voiced her frustration at the latest delay.

“Surely MI5 signed them off [the reports], are they now changing their mind?

“Every three months for the past year, it will be a year in July, we have been promised these reports.

“It went from July until the autumn last year and then it came into the spring… and now we are promised them and it looks as if we are not going to get them again.

“What more do they need? What more do they want to change? What has changed?”

Ms Todd said British authorities have misled her family in the past.

“They have lied to us from the very, very start,” she said.

“When Eugene disappeared in 1981 he was executed… Stakeknife told them, he was executed 12 or 14 days later.

“They knew all this, they knew he was executed, and yet, until his body was found, they never told us.

“He was in America, he was in Canada – they knew he was in a bog in the south of Ireland.”

Ms Todd said her family “knew nothing for the next 40 years until Kenova last July”.

Eugene Simons disappeared in 1981

The loving sister questioned who is behind the attempts to withhold information.

“Who are these people that have their finger in so many dirty pies?

“They don’t seem to be accountable to anybody, is it too much to expect the truth…we think we know the worst about everything but, what are they doing? Are they protecting Stakeknife, are they protecting other sources?

“To my mind they used Northern Ireland as a training ground for their black ops.”

Ms Todd was scathing in her criticism of British intelligence agencies.

“What on earth were they doing to Northern Ireland, treating it as some sort of training ground? Unbelievable,” she said.

“It’s like some colony off the African coast. How dare they, it’s human beings they are dealing with.

“I wonder how many murders they are responsible for – I am sure many a time they turned a blind eye.”

Ms Todd revealed her family held a meeting with Kenova investigators last year adding that they have been “very good in communicating” with her family.

She added that her family has been told the bespoke report will ‘fill in the gaps’ in their knowledge.

“But it’s always, once you get the report it will be clearer, once you get the report all this will make sense” she said.

“We need the report.” Ms Todd said her family has been told that Kenova had given MI5 until June 20 to provide an explanation as to why these 13 reports are being held back.

She added that if no response is received Kenova will release the reports “expecting a court case”.

Former MI5 director general Eliza Manningham-Buller has previously claimed her organisation only became aware of the Stakeknife’s status after it was asked to resettle him, which is thought to have been around 2003.

MI5 knew about Stakeknife for two decades

However, it is understood the organisation knew about the agent in the early 1980’s – two decades before the former MI5 chief claimed it was made aware.

Ms Todd’s solicitor Kevin Winters, of KRW Law, said he has been in regular contact with Operation Kenova.

“The fact that MI5 are now seemingly trying to block the release of those long over due reports will come as no surprise,” he said.

“After all they’ve been badly caught out failing to hand over important sensitive disclosure information to Kenova.

“They have historically tried to play down their status as over seers and architects of an insidious intelligence agenda underpinning the entire Stakeknife project.”

Mr Winters said the family reports are “expected to contain information of a more personal and sensitive nature which couldn’t be published in the interim Kenova report last March”.

“We want to find out if they can take a firm stand against MI5 and go ahead with the release of the reports,” he said.

“We need Sir Iain to confront MI5 in a way which will generate trust and confidence in families that everything is being done on their behalf.”

Operation Kenova was contacted.

Scappaticci, Kenova and the ‘friends’ Eugene’s family now believe involved his disappearance

Connla Young, Irish News, June 30th, 2025

A MAN killed and secretly buried by the IRA faced RUC threats that he would be branded an informer unless he worked for them months before he was abducted and murdered.

Father-of-three Eugene Simons (26), who is believed to have been an IRA member, was taken away by the republican group in January 1981.

From Castlewellan in Co Down, his remains were accidently discovered buried in a bog near Dundalk, Co Louth, in May 1984.

The father-of three, was one of ‘The Disappeared’ – a group of people killed and quietly buried by the IRA in the 1970s and 1980s.

His case is one of dozens investigated by Operation Kenova.

It was set up in 2016 to examine the activities of British agent Stakeknife, who in 2003 was revealed to be west Belfast man Freddie Scappaticci.

It has been reported that he died in 2023.

An interim report was published by investigators last year, with a final version yet to be released.

Earlier this year Operation Kenova head, Sir Iain Livingstone, confirmed the British Cabinet Office had given the go-ahead for 26 bespoke family reports to be released.

It is understood some of these have already been handed over.

Mr Simon’s family spoke out amid claims that MI5 has now attempted to block the release of 13 reports.

Although Mr Simon’s family have yet to receive their report, they have already been provided with some information by the Kenova team.

Moira Todd, a sister of Mr Simons, has revealed that her brother was previously taken away by the IRA in August 1980 – after being arrested and questioned by the RUC at Castlereagh.

The family understands that Scappaticci was involved in this incident.

She also confirms that while Scappaticci did not take part in her brother’s 1981 interrogation, the agent had knowledge of his abduction and told his handlers where Mr Simons was being held.

“You see, Scappaticci was very much involved with Eugene, he interrogated him in August 1980, he and his crew,” she said.

“Whereas, we don’t believe Stakeknife had anything to do with his actual execution, he knew all about it, because he told his handlers. But they chose not to interfere. He told them where he [Eugene] was being held and all the information, but they chose not to go and save him.

“Are MI5 allowed to be jury, judge and executioner?

While it has been reported that Mr Simons was accused of being an informer, Ms Todd said the IRA has never publicly said her brother was working for the British.

“They [IRA] have made no claim to him at all,” she said.

“Eugene has never been tried or accused of anything.”

She said it has been tough dealing with the suggestion her brother was working for the state.

Informer stigma

“It is this informer stigma that I find difficult to manage,” she said.

“The IRA never claimed him, they put him in a bog, never to be found. They didn’t leave him by a roadside, like they have done with so many others, saying this is what informers get.

“If he was an informer, where is all the money that these informers are supposed to be paid?”

Ms Todd said there was no obvious signs that her brother had been compromised.

The family of Eugene Simons say Freddie Scappaticci, above, knew about his murder

“Eugene was giving to the cause, he wasn’t making money from it,” she said.

“He was constantly under pressure to contribute, I know that, there was no money anywhere that would suggest he was an informer.”

Ms Todd said her father Walter Simons, who died in 2019, was “veracious” in his attempts to find out what happened to his son, revealing that at one stage he considered using divers to search local loughs for his remains.

“We never got anything from the IRA, except my father got a phone call telling him to stop digging or he would get the same treatment,” she said.

She said that her brother was arrested by the RUC in 1980 and was later brought by the IRA, ‘to a barn in the south’, where he was held for five days.

She reveals how he was held at Castleragh Police Station in east Belfast, where he was the subject of a sinister threat.

“Eugene was in Castlereagh before the IRA lifted him. They told him they would put it out that he was a tout, if he didn’t work with them, they would put it out that he was a tout anyway,” she said.

“They took him into Castlereagh, and we all know what happens in Castlereagh, and then they [IRA] had him from the first of January to the 12 or 14th of January in 1981. I would imagine those were not pleasant days for him.

“Surely anybody would break under that, just to make it stop.”

Ms Todd said the treatment of her brother “was a total and absolute abuse of his human rights”.

“They had no care for him at all,” she added.

Ms Todd said that after her brother was lifted by the IRA in 1980 “he came home badly bruised and terrified”.

Family members met with Kenova investigators last year and were given a list of suspects, which was ciphered.

Despite this her family has been able to establish the identity of some of those involved in her brother’s abduction and death.

“When we met with Kenova they gave us a long list of suspects, didn’t name them,” she said “We were able to put names to some of them and it’s a shock. It was such as shock to members of the family to realise that these people were allegedly friends.

“People, some of the family, had been socialising without knowing these were the people that were involved in the murder of out brother.

“There was some big shocks that day. There was six of us there and what one didn’t know the other knew and we were able to fill in some of the pieces ourselves.”

She believes her brother was deliberately targeted by state agencies.

“He was rumoured to have been a quarter master, he probably was quiet high and very committed in the organisation and this was just a coup so Stakeknife could get rid of him. Get rid of him and tarnish him with the informer tag as well,” she said.

Ms Todd said that while some family members want to put the past behind them, others are determined to press ahead for answers.

“It’s a very, very divisive subject because there was 10 of us and some just want the book closed, it’s too painful. Some don’t want to know anything more about it, just let Eugene rest in peace and that’s fair enough,” she said.

“We’ve recognised that within the family, and those of us that want to carry on are doing it.”

Order is banned from Garvaghy Road again

Connla Young, Irish News, June 30th, 2025

LATEST RULING COMES AHEAD OF 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF START OF DRUMCREE STAND-OFF

THE Orange Order has been banned from marching along the nationalist Garvaghy Road as the 30th anniversary of the Drumcree parade dispute approaches.

The bitter stand-off began on July 9, 1995, when nationalist residents objected to members of the order marching through the district while returning from Drumcree Parish Church.

The order wanted to bring two bands and an unknown number of participants and supporters through the district on Sunday, July 5 – almost 30 years since the dispute started.

The Orange Order was eventually banned from marching along the contentious route in 1998.

While most nationalists consider the dispute over, and many young people have no memory of an Orange parade in the Garvaghy area, some members of the order continue to insist they be allowed through the district.

The Parades Commission has now once again banned the annual march from the nationalist area.

In a determination, the Parades Commission said representations were received from officer bearers of Portadown LoL No 1, who stressed “that the route was categorically not negotiable”.

They said the “long standing determination that prevents them from processing the whole of the notified route is an unjustified infringement of their rights”.

Members of the order have “expressed a frustration” about the Parades Commission position “believing that it creates an impasse whereby residents have what they want and therefore do not need to engage”.

‘Trauma remains’

The Garvaghy Road Resident Coalition made representations in 2022 that outlined the “impact the past has had on the community and the trauma that remains”.

“They reiterated their position that any initiatives to facilitate an Orange Order march on the Garvaghy Road would bring to the fore issues, anxieties and fears, which the residents consider should remain in the past and which could have wider ramifications,” the Parades Commission said.

Garvaghy Road residents highlighted the Orange Order’s refusal to discuss the central issue.

In its determination, the Parades Commission concluded a restriction on the route remains “necessary, proportionate and fair” and reflects “the potential impact on relations in the immediate vicinity of Portadown and across Northern Ireland”.

The 1995 stand-off sparked a series of events that resulted in the deaths of several people, including three children.

After three days of deadlock the parade finally went ahead after nationalists agreed to end their protest.

A year later the parade was banned, but after violent clashes between the RUC, Orangemen and their supporters, the decision was reversed, resulting in nationalist protesters being forcibly removed from the Garvaghy Road.

At the height of the 1996 standoff, Catholic taxi driver Michael McGoldrick (31) was shot dead by renegade members of the UVF outside Lurgan.

In 1997 the Orange Order was again allowed to march along the Garvaghy Road after the area was flooded by police in the early hours of Drumcree Sunday.

In May that year, Catholic man Robert Hamill died after he was attacked by a loyalist mob in Portadown as RUC officers, who were in a Land Rover parked nearby, were accused of failing to intervene.

The parade dispute was also linked to a deadly sectarian arson attack carried out by the UVF in the early hours of July 12, 1998.

Catholic schoolboys Richard (10), Mark (9) and Jason (8) Quinn died after their home was petrol bombed in Ballymoney, Co Antrim.

Later that year, RUC officer Frank O’Reilly died after a pipe bomb was thrown at police lines by loyalists in Portadown.

Bloody Sunday and bombing items part of new exhibition

Rebecca Black, Irish News and Belfast Telegraph, June 30th, 2025

A PIECE of stained glass from the IRA’s bombing of Derry’s historic Guildhall and a belt worn by one of those killed on Bloody Sunday are part of a new display on the Troubles and reconciliation.

Training logs for loyalist prisoners in the former Long Kesh prison camp where scores of paramilitary prisoners were held are also among the items put together in a collaboration involving museums and groups.

The Conflict and Legacy Interpretive Network includes National Museums NI, the Museum of Free Derry/Bloody Sunday Trust and Healing Through Remembering.

It aims to nurture diverse perspectives on the conflict and the legacy of the Troubles, while informing the debate on reconciliation.

The Network has been awarded more than £200,000 in funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support its Realising The Potential Of The Conflict And Legacy Interpretive Network project.

A display giving a taster of the project has been unveiled at the Ulster Museum in Belfast.

The objects in the display include a piece of stained glass from the Guildhall following a 1972 IRA bombing, training logs for loyalist prisoners in Long Kesh, and the belt worn by Patrick Doherty when he was shot dead on Bloody Sunday.

William Blair, director of collections at National Museums NI, described a “complex part of history with many different perspectives”.

He emphasised that the legacy of conflict needs to be interpreted sensitively and empathetically.

Peacebuilding

“Peacebuilding is an ongoing process, and we’re all part of that journey,” he said.

“Interpreting our recent past requires care and sensitivity.

“At the Ulster Museum, our Troubles and Beyond exhibition is intentionally presented as a work in progress, inviting visitors to ask ‘what’s missing?’

“This question creates space for continued reflection and engagement, and thereby continual evolvement.

“As the exhibition states, ‘Whilst we have a shared past, we do not have a shared memory’.

“Everyone’s lived experience holds its own truth, and that must be respected.”

He added: “We’re fortunate to be part of a wider network of organisations – brought together through the Conflict and Legacy Interpretive Network – who are actively engaged in exploring our recent conflict and progressing peacebuilding as a result.

“We are grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for recognising the value and potential impact of this collaborative effort.”

Cate Turner, director at Healing Through Remembering, a cross-community organisation dedicated to facilitating discussion around conflict, said they are aware of the need to engage all perspectives.

“Challenges as a result of the past remain evident here in Northern Ireland, and in responding to them, we need to ensure that we adopt an approach that not only engages those directly impacted, but future generations too,” she said.

“The Conflict and Legacy Interpretive Network allows us to leverage specialist expertise to ensure we engage people in ways that will benefit communities.”

Maeve McLaughlin, director at the Bloody Sunday Trust, said: “As the debate around the historical legacy of conflict here continues, museums and heritage organisations have been considering their role and purpose.

“This has been a difficult area, but in establishing the Network, we have found we can learn from each other and better define the approach.

“We are not simply institutions that record history, but experts in determining how history should be collected, interpreted and shared.”

Dr Paul Mullan, director of Northern Ireland at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, added: “We recognise that dealing with contested history can be challenging, but as our ongoing investment in reconciliation projects demonstrates, it’s important that work to build greater understanding of the legacy of conflict is acknowledged.

The Conflict and Legacy Interpretive Network exhibit will remain on display at Ulster Museum until the end of the year.

Asbestos-related illness in NI costs Stormont £40m

Andrew Madden, Belfast Telegraph, June 30th, 2025

COUNCIL CONSIDER LEGAL ACTION OVER SUSPECTED HAZARD AT A BONFIRE SITE

Almost £40m has been paid out by Stormont for asbestos-related illness claims in the last 15 years.

More than 1,800 people received compensation, according to figures released by Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald.

The details were published after an Assembly question from DUP MLA Michelle McIlveen.

It comes after Belfast City Council said it was considering legal action against the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) over concerns about suspected asbestos at a bonfire site.

Asbestos was used in construction for decades before being banned in the UK in 1999, after it emerged inhaling its fibres could cause cancer.

It is only considered dangerous if moved or disturbed, and remains present in many buildings in Northern Ireland today that were built or refurbished during the second half of the 20th century.

The Department for the Economy has issued payments to 1,803 individuals since the beginning of the 2010/11 financial year after asbestos-related disease claims, including those for mesothelioma, a cancer strongly linked to asbestos exposure.

These claims amount to a combined £39.6m. The annual payments have fluctuated over the years.

The highest number (289 individuals) were compensated with a total of £4.5m in 2013/14.

In the 12 months to April this year, six people received a combined £713,489.

Previously this year, the Belfast Telegraph revealed that 870 schools in Northern Ireland contain asbestos. This figure does not include grant-maintained integrated and voluntary grammar schools, meaning the true figure is likely much higher.

Health and Safety Executive NI guidance on asbestos in buildings said its presence alone “should not be a cause for concern”.

Bonfire site in Village area

Last week, Belfast City Council warned of legal action over asbestos close to a bonfire site at Meridi Street/Maldon Street in the Village area.

The site is privately owned land and has been the subject of environmental and planning concerns in recent years, with images showing the pyre being constructed in the area just yards from a pile of material believed to be contaminated with asbestos.

The council said: “Belfast City Council previously took enforcement action at this site in 2011 due to the presence of high-risk asbestos-containing materials which were being disturbed due to demolition works.

“When the then owners failed to take action to deal with those materials, the council undertook significant works and the site was secured.

“When this work was completed, officers were satisfied that the site did not pose any risk to people living or working in the area, but were clear that we could not state there was no contamination left at the site.

“Council became aware of a further issue at this site last month and has been engaging with the landowner to ensure that suspected asbestos-containing materials were adequately secured.

“The current landowner has put temporary measures in place to fence off the materials. Council has also served an abatement notice on the landowner requiring them to secure and contain the materials.”

The council said the Northern Ireland Environment Agency was undertaking an enforcement investigation.

“Elected members have also agreed that this may include pursuing legal action against the NIEA and/or the landowner, if the necessary steps are not taken to remove the materials and secure the wider site,” it added.

Church leaders thank PSNI for ‘courage in the face of adversity’

John Breslin, Irish News, June 30th, 2025

Dozens of police officers were injured during recent unrest in Ballymena and other parts of the north

CHURCH leaders have thanked members of the PSNI for their “courage in the face of adversity” during street violence in recent weeks.

The Catholic and Church of Ireland Archbishops of Armagh, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, and the Presidents of the Methodist Church in Ireland and the Irish Council of Churches, sent the message in a letter to PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher and Mukesh Sharma, the chair of the Policing Board.

Disorder flared in Ballymena and other parts of the north earlier this month after arrests in the Co Antrim town in connection with an alleged sexual assault.

Rioters in Ballymena targeted homes of migrant families and attacked police.

More than 60 PSNI officers were injured during the disorder.

“We all have a responsibility to show love to our neighbours, to welcome the stranger, and to show kindness and compassion to the most vulnerable in society,” the Church Leaders’ Group (Ireland) said.

”[We] want to thank the members of PSNI for their courage in the face of adversity, and for the protection and care they afford to all who have been attacked and abused.

“The last number of weeks have seen shocking examples of violence and intimidation on our streets and racially motivated attacks in various places across Northern Ireland, initiated by individuals who decided to take the law into their own hands.

“The rule of law underpins the very foundations of normal society, and no-one is above the law. It is a very fragile entity and without its security, lawlessness can degenerate into anarchy.

‘Courage in adversity’

“As church leaders, we therefore want to thank the members of PSNI for their courage in the face of adversity, and for the protection and care they afford to all who have been attacked and abused, who have faced intimidation and the threat of violence, particularly in recent days.

“No-one should feel unsafe in their own homes or on the streets of his country.”

They added: “We all have a responsibility to show love to our neighbours, to welcome the stranger, and to show kindness and compassion to the most vulnerable in society.

“Many acts of kindness have been witnessed during these last few weeks…[and] we would appeal to all people to work together in mutual respect for the safety and well-being of the whole community.”

As part of their message, the church leaders assured the chief constable and the Policing Board chair of their “prayers and the prayers of those they represented”.

20-YEAR-OLD IN CUSTODY AS PART OF PSNI'S PROBE INTO 'HATE CRIME'

Christopher Leebody, Belfast Telegraph, June 30th, 2025

A 20-year-old man has been arrested as part of the police investigation into an incident in which slurry was spread on the streets of Ballymena hours before the town's first Pride parade.

Police are treating the incident, which happened overnight on Friday into Saturday, as a hate crime.

A 19-year-old man has already been charged in connection with the incident and is due to appear at Coleraine Magistrates' Court today.

In a statement yesterday, the PSNI said a 20-year-old man has also been arrested.

A spokesperson added: “Officers investigating an incident in which slurry was spread on a number of roads in Ballymena on Saturday, June 28, have arrested a 20-year-old man.

“The man was arrested on Sunday morning on suspicion of criminal damage, aiding and abetting criminal damage, and causing material to be deposited on a road, and he remains in custody at this time.

“The matter is being treated as a hate crime and enquiries are ongoing.

“Anyone with information can contact police on 101, quoting reference number 191 of 28/06/25.”

The parade went ahead on Saturday afternoon, with hundreds of people taking part. Banners and rainbow flags were carried as the procession made its way through the town.

Small counter protest

A small counter-protest was also staged, with some people displaying religious messages on placards.

Political representatives led condemnation of the incident, with one MLA saying it was a “disgusting” attempt to intimidate those taking part in Pride.

The parade started at 2pm and finished at Greenvale Street an hour later.

Organisers said the event was an effort to celebrate “diversity, inclusion and cross-community unity”.

Scott Cuthbertson of The Rainbow Project, who branded the incident “disgusting”, thanked local businesses who helped clear the area ahead of the parade.

Alliance MLA Sian Mulholland said: “There is no place for this kind of disgusting and deliberate attempt to intimidate, disrupt or shame those taking part in a peaceful and joyful celebration of love, identity and community.

“Ballymena Pride is a historic and hopeful moment for our town. No amount of hate will drown out the message of inclusion, solidarity and pride that today represents.”

Justice Minister Naomi Long said on X: “I despair the mentality of those who spread slurry on the streets of their town motivated by hate and bigotry. Disgusting in every sense of the word.

“Solidarity to all at Ballymena Pride. It's a frightening time, but love will always triumph over hate.”

UUP MLA Doug Beattie also condemned what happened, saying: “I think this is appalling, stupid and a level of hatred not wanted by the majority of people in Ballymena.”

Sinn Fein MLA Philip McGuigan said: “This is a disgraceful act, clearly intended to disrupt Ballymena's first Pride parade and intimidate those taking part.”

SDLP councillor Seamas de Faoite said it was a “shameful and targeted act of intimidation”.

Ahead of the parade, the PSNI said there would be an increased police presence in Ballymena “to ensure everyone's safety”.

“Pride is an important event for those in our community who identify as LGBT+ and for those who want to show support for our LGBT+ community,” a spokesperson said.

“We want members of our LGBT+ communities in Mid and East Antrim to feel represented by their police service and to know that if they come forward to report an incident, they will be met with fairness and respect, particularly if they have been subject to hate crime.”