Paper Gagged Over Terror Claim ======================= Henry McDonald Sunday September 24, 2000 THE GOVERNMENT has issued a gagging order on a Sunday newspaper to protect the identity of one the state's most important agents working in the highest ranks of the IRA leadership. Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, obtained a High Court order preventing the Sunday People from writing about the murder in west Belfast 13 years ago of a nationalist who was set up by Army intelligence to save a top IRA informer. The identity of the Army's agent in the IRA - known by his codeword of 'Steak Knife' - is one of the most closely guarded secrets in the intelligence community. Neil Wallis, the editor of the People , last night accused the government of concocting 'an establishment stitch-up' with the courts to prevent the paper from exposing the role of military intelligence agents in assisting loyalists to target Catholics in Northern Ireland. The case, which was heard in the High Court in London on Friday, centres on the murder of 66-year-old Francisco Notarantonio, who was shot dead by the loyalist Ulster Defence Association at his home in October 1987. In last week's edition the People alleged that UDA informer Brian Nelson - an agent working for the army's Force Research Unit (FRU) - had come across information about 'Steak Knife'. Nelson informed his handlers that the UDA had wanted to assassinate the top IRA member. The agents panicked and provided intelligence on Francisco Notarantonio who was then murdered, the paper alleges, as a 'diversion'. The paper also alleges that several FRU officers are about to be questioned by the Stevens Inquiry into claims that they organised dozens of loyalist killings. The inquiry, headed by Sir John Stevens, is examining the role of military intelligence in directing loyalist murder squads in Belfast, including members of the UDA's 'C' company led by Johnny 'Mad Dog' Adair. Self-confessed UDA terrorist and informer William Stobie has claimed the FRU and RUC Special Branch knew via Brian Nelson that Catholic solicitor Pat Finucane was about to be murdered but failed to act. Martin Ingrams, the former FRU soldier, who worked undercover and ran agents at the time Brian Nelson was working for military intelligence, has also alleged that the Army went out of their way to protect 'Steak Knife's' cover. Ingrams (not his real name) faces prosecution for allegedly breaching the Official Secrets Act. http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Northern_Ireland/Story/0,2763,372659,00.h tml
