Mark Horgan

Freddie Scappaticci, codenamed Stakeknife, spent decades as a senior member of the IRA's Internal Security Unit while secretly working for British military intelligence. When his identity was exposed in 2003, it sparked one of the most controversial intelligence operations of the Troubles.

Freddie Scappaticci, the highest-ranking informant ever placed inside the Provisional IRA, spent 25 years feeding intelligence to British military handlers while simultaneously running the organization's execution unit. His death in March 2023 reopened questions about how many lives were lost to protect his cover.