Force Research Unit

Force Research Unit (FRU) is alleged to be a name used by a covert military intelligence unit established by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence in the Intelligence Corps of the British Army based at Templer Barracks, Ashford in Kent. The FRU is alleged to have been formed between 1980 and 1981 replacing an existing unit as an agent handling capability. The FRU is claimed to have been based at the Intelligence Corps centre at Thiepval Barracks, Northern Ireland from where its members recruited and handled agents.

The FRU and its members are alleged to been engaged in a policy of collusion with loyalist paramilitaries during the 1980s and 1990s, and to have contributed to the assassinations of at least 14 Roman Catholics in Northern Ireland between 1987-1991 [ According to a former British military intelligence officer who served with the FRU, "there's no doubt about this. My unit was guilty of conspiring in the murder of civilians in Northern Ireland, on about 14 occasions." See article by Neil Mackay, 'My unit conspired in the murder of civilians in Ireland', "Sunday Herald", 19 Novemeber 2000. [http://www.serve.com/pfc/fru/fru12022k1a.html] ] along with the deaths of two senior members of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA).

Alleged collusion with Loyalist paramilitaries

FRU activity on Tasking and Co-ordination Group

Allegations exist that the FRU sought "restriction orders" in advance of a number of loyalist paramilitary attacks in order to facilitate easy access to and escape from their target. A "restriction order" is a de-confliction agreement to restrict patrolling or surveillance in an area over a specified period. This de-confliction activity was carried out at a weekly Tasking and Co-ordination Group which included representatives of the RUC, Security Service and the British Army. It is claimed the FRU asked for restriction orders to be placed on areas where they knew loyalist paramilitaries were going to strike. ["Ten-Thirty Three", Nick Davies ISBN 1-84018-343-8.]

Alleged infiltration of Republican paramilitaries

"Stakeknife"

FRU are also alleged to have handled agents within Republican paramilitary groups. A number of agents are suspected to have been handled by the FRU including IRA units who planted bombs and assassinated. Fact|date=November 2007Attacks are said to have taken place involving FRU controlled agents highly placed within the PIRA. The main agent to have been uncovered so far was codenamed "Stakeknife". There is a debate as to whether this agent is PIRA member Freddie Scappaticci or another, as yet unidentified, PIRA member. [Scappaticci denies the allegations and in May 2003 began legal action to force the then NI Secretary of State, Jane Kennedy, to deny he is/was a British Agent see [http://cryptome.org/fru-stakeknife.htm here] for details. At this point (May 2006) Scappaticci has launched no libel actions against media making the allegations. There is also suspicion in Irish republican circles that the real "Stakeknife" and/or other British agents have yet to be unmasked, this suspicion was compounded by the revelation that Denis Donaldson was a mole within Sinn Féin/the Republican movement, and by interviews given by the man calling himself "Kevin Fulton" in March 2006.]

"Stakeknife" is thought to have been a member of the PIRA's Internal Security Unit- a unit responsible for counter-intelligence, interrogation and court martial of informers within the IRA. It is believed that "Stakeknife" was used by the FRU to influence the outcome of investigations conducted by the PIRA's Internal Security Unit into the activities of PIRA volunteers.

It is alleged that in 1997 the UDA came into possession of details relating to the identity of the FRU controlled PIRA volunteer codenamed "Stakeknife". It is further alleged that the UDA, unaware of this PIRA volunteers value to the FRU, planned to assassinate him. It is alleged that after the FRU discovered"Stakeknife" was in danger from UDA assassination they used Brian Nelson to persuade the UDA to assassinate Francisco Notarantonio instead, a Belfast pensioner who had been interned as an Irish republican in the 1940s. [According to the article title 'My unit conspired in the murder of civilians in Ireland' - by Neil Mackay, the officer in the FRU who passed Notarantonio's details to Nelson was "Captain M" assumed to be Cpt. Margaret Walshaw.] The killing of Notarantonio was claimed by the UFF at the time. [Details on the Death of Notarantonio available on CAIN Sutton [http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1987.html here] .] Following the killing of Notarantonio, unaware of the involvement of the FRU, the PIRA assassinated two UDA leaders in reprisal attacks. It has been alleged that the FRU secretly passed details of the two UDA leaders to the PIRA via "Stakeknife" in an effort to distract attention from "Stakeknife" as a possible informer.

FRU and the Stevens Inquiry

Self professed former FRU operative Martin Ingram asserted that the arson attack which destroyed the offices of the Stevens Inquiry to destroy evidence on operational activities collected by Stevens' team. ["Stakeknife: Britain's Secret Agents in Ireland", Martin Ingram] , O'Brien Press, 2004]

References

External links

* [http://www.serve.com/pfc Pat Finucane Centre]
* [http://www.serve.com/pfc/fru/fruindex.html Activities in Northern Ireland]
* [http://www.relativesforjustice.com/publications/fru.htm Relatives For Justice]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/2944007.stm Brian Nelson]
* [http://cryptome.org/fru-herald.htm Sunday Herald FRU investigation]
* [http://cryptome.org/fru-portrait.htm Kerr, Moyles and Walshaw portrait]
* [http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/collusion/docs/panorama230602.htm Transcript of BBC Panorama programme titled 'Collusion', 23 June 2002]
* [http://www.sundayherald.com/fru.shtml Series of articles appearing in the Sunday Herald about the activities of the FRU.]
* [http://www.sluggerotoole.com/index.php/weblog/comments/ingram_on_mi5_fbi_and_mi6/ Lengthy Interview given by Martin Ingram on Radio Free Eireann describing his FRU activities] NOTE: Interview with Ingram starts around 25 minutes into the mp3.
* [http://www.relativesforjustice.com/pressrelease/insight.htm Transcript of Insight TV documentary : Licensed to Kill - Inside the Force Research Unit]

ee also

*Stakeknife
*British Military Intelligence Systems in Northern Ireland
*Military deception