A British Army spy operating at heart of the IRA during the Troubles in Northern Ireland probably cost more lives than he saved, an investigation finds
Freddie Scappaticci, codenamed Stakeknife, was linked to 14 murders and 15 abductions; he worked in a ruthless IRA unit known as the “nutting squad”
UK security forces failed to prevent some murders to try to protect their agents in the IRA, the report says
Northern Ireland police chief Jon Boutcher tells victims' families: "You are not mad, this was happening and this should not have happened"
And a lawyer for the families of 12 victims says the report is "a damning indictment of the state"
Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill says an apology from the British government "should be forthcoming"
Westminster's Chris Heaton-Harris says he won't comment on the investigation before legal cases related to it conclude
Scappaticci, who died last year, was unmasked in the media in 2003 and went into hiding; he denied he was Stakeknife
Image source, IMAGES4MEDIA.COMThank you for joining our live coverage of the release of Operation Kenova's interim report.
The £40m investigation took seven years to examine the activities of Stakeknife, who was Belfast man Freddie Scappaticci.
There will be continuing reaction and analysis on the BBC News NI website.
Before we leave you, let's take one final look at what was in this Operation Kenova report and the reaction to it:
Jennifer O'Leary
BBC NI Spotlight reporter
In 2003, shortly before fleeing Belfast, Freddie Scappaticci told a BBC camera crew to "get yourselves off" or he would "do" them
The town of Guildford in Surrey is not where one might expect to find an IRA serial killer linked to the murder of 17 people, but it's where Freddie Scappaticci settled after fleeing Belfast in 2003 following press reports about his double life.
In England, Freddie Scappaticci went under a new identity, his neighbours only knew him as Frank, and was living under the protection of the state.
Decades on and with Northern Ireland's peace process in place, Scappaticci's neighbours had no cause to fear the person they knew as Frank, who lived alone and was exceptionally private.
In England, living under his new identity, he was distant from his victims' families, accusers and collaborators.
His death, announced in April 2023, meant that agent Stakeknife was a spy who got away with murder. Those who know the secrets he took to his grave may yet chose to share them.
WATCH: The Big Cases 'The Executioner Next Door' Jennifer O'Leary examines a one-time IRA executioner and top-secret Army agent who lived out his later years in state-protected suburbia.
The IRA's activities "achieved nothing but misery", the Ulster Unionist Party Mike Nesbitt says.
He adds his party will "take time" to consider the detail of the report, which runs to more than 200 pages.
“Firstly, there are many victims, and families of victims, who will never see this level of investigation that took place during the decades known as ‘The Troubles’," he explains.
"We in no way wish to lessen the pain and loss suffered by the families of those victims Op Kenova investigated, every life lost is a tragedy, but we remain convinced that Northern Ireland could be where it is today without a single life being lost through this conflict.
"There was an alternative."
Image source, PacemakerNorthern Ireland's director of public prosecutions says he hopes the Kenova interim report "provides a wider level of information for victims and families who have been seeking answers for many years".
Stephen Herron says: "Today should rightly be about recognising the continued trauma of victims and families and identifying what can be learned to help them and society in moving forward."
The DPP says the role of his service is to independently and impartially take decisions on prosecutions.
However, after it emerged no one would be prosecuted in relation to Kenova's findings, Herron says: "All of the decisions that we have taken in relation to the files submitted by Operation Kenova have been explained in detail to the victims and families concerned."
Former IRA prisoner Richard O'Rawe says that “nobody comes out of [the report] well".
“The IRA don’t come out of it well for a plethora of reasons, principally because they killed these people,” he tells the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme.
Speaking about the "forces of state", O’Rawe says: "[They] knew that people were going to be executed, murdered, call it what you will, and they knew they could have intervened and saved those people’s lives and they didn’t".
O’Rawe adds: “They allowed them to be murdered and they did so because they wanted to protect their sources, their sources was[sic] more important than the lives of Irish and British citizens”.
The interim Kenova report is "significant", the Northern Ireland Policing Board says.
A spokesperson adds the body, which oversees policing, "will require discussion to understand its implications".
A special meeting with the chief constable and Sir Iain Livingstone will be convened in the coming weeks, they add.
"Members also wish to discuss upcoming issues regarding handling of legacy cases in advance of new legislation coming into effect."
Gerry Carroll of People Before Profit says while the report found Stakeknife cost more lives than his actions saved, "it disgracefully maintains that state agents saved lives in the north".
Jim Allister of Traditional Unionist Voice described the report as a "failure" as it did not lead to prosecutions.
"I repudiate the attempted equivalence between those IRA murderers who fired bullets into the back of the heads of victims and handlers of informers," he adds.
Operation Kenova, a major report investigating an Army spy who operated at the heart of the IRA during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, has been published. If you're just joining us, let's take a look at some of the key findings and reaction:
Stay with us for more.
More now from Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.
Donaldson questions whether the approximately £40m spent on the Kenova investigation "might have been better spent on pro-active policing today".
"It is even more disappointing that on the back of such an expensive investigation, the PPS (Public Prosecution Service) has failed to secure a single prosecution," he adds.
Image source, PA MediaThe DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson says "the work of the police, Army or the security services was a just cause" during the Troubles.
He says that while the report contains "lessons to learn for the government", he adds "the fact that the security services had so many agents working at the top of the PIRA, is testament to their success".
Image source, PA MediaNorthern Ireland’s Justice Minister Naomi Long welcomes the publication of the interim report.
"Investigating legacy issues can be very challenging and time consuming for all involved and can be painful and distressing for those directly affected,” she says.
"This has been a long and difficult journey for those families seeking the truth about what happened to their loved ones.
"I sincerely hope that today brings some measure of comfort for them and that they find some value in the interim report.
“No doubt everyone involved will wish to take time to fully understand the contents and any associated implications for them,” the Alliance Party leader adds.
"His name was Fred Scappaticci," Kevin Winters says, referencing the former Army agent Stakeknife.
"The person at the centre of both sets of litigation was a west Belfast bricklayer and former senior member of the internal security unit of IRA," he continues.
"For over 20 years now he has been openly reported as the epicentre of British Military Intelligence penetration of the IRA during the conflict."
He says the report "presents as a damning indictment of the state".
"The staggering takeaway message is that the state could have intervened to save lives," he adds.
Solicitor Kevin Winters, who represents the families of 12 victims, is now delivering a statement on their behalf.
"We are left with the horrendous conclusion that both state and the IRA were co-conspirators in the murder of its citizens," he tells reporters.
Stay with us for more.
Image source, PA MediaColum Eastwood, leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), says the report "makes for difficult reading".
The Foyle MP says it shows "war crimes sanctioned by the IRA council and the British Government".
He claims it blew away "myths of heroism" within republicanism.
"It is very clear that Stakeknife was Freddie Scappaticci. What isn't clear is who else was involved," he adds.
First Minister Michelle O'Neill has just finished her short press conference.
Stay with us as we continue to bring you reaction to Operation Kenova's interim findings.
Image source, PA MediaMichelle O'Neill goes on to say that "we all know the IRA have left the stage".
She says she wants "to speak directly to all those families out there".
"That I am so sorry that we were born into conflict, that I am so sorry for all lives lost, I am so sorry that people were hurt," the first minister continues.
"I'm part of the Good Friday Agreement generation who was born into conflict but whose very much about building the future."