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IRA man denies he was a British spy

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON MAY 14. The man, who was alleged to have been a British spy at the heart of the IRA, has denied that he ever worked for intelligence services but security sources were reported to be sticking to their story.

Freddie Scappaticci, also known as `Stakeknife,' said his life had been "placed in danger" as a result of allegations that he was a British mole in the IRA-doubling as deputy head of IRA's powerful internal security unit and a police informant. In a statement, his solicitor said his client had been a "victim of misrepresentations, apparently emanating from the security forces and disseminated by the press."

He said Mr. Scappaticci, now in hiding because of danger to his life, was "an ordinary working class man" who had never been an informer. "A number of serious allegations have been made about my client in the press since Sunday.

My client denies each and every one of these allegations. He is not Stakeknife; he has never been an informer, has never contacted the intelligence services....and has never received any money from the security services."

The British Government also has been embarrassed by the revelation which comes barely a few weeks after a report by the Metropolitan Police Chief, John Stevens, alleged that the security forces `colluded' with the Protestant loyalist paramilitaries in the Eighties to target Catholic IRA activists.

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