28 May 2006. Related Martin Ingram statements and testimony on the Bloody Sunday Inquiry:
http://cryptome.org/ingram-sunday.htm
See also:
http://cryptome.org/mcguinness-taps.htm
28 May 2006. A writes:
The Sunday world in an exclusive by John Cassidy, has named the top senior Sinn Fein figure as Martin McGuinness as a British spy. It is not yet on line yet, when it comes I shall send it to you. [below]
http://www.people.co.uk/news/news/tm_objectid=17143900%26method=full%26siteid=93463-name_page.html
The People (UK) 28 May 2006
EXCLUSIVE: SPY SHOCKER
By Gail Edgar
TOP secret papers obtained by The People have sensationally exposed one of Sinn Fein's most senior figures as a British SPY.
It is alleged "Agent J11B" colluded with MI6 on undercover operations in which a number of people were killed.
He is also said to be a former member of the IRA Council who met regularly with Irish premier Bertie Ahern and his government.
The secret documents, passed to our Belfast office, include his security code number which he used as identification when liaising with his British handlers.
The agent has been a leading light of Sinn Fein - the main nationalist party in Northern Ireland - for 20 years and is known as a brilliant negotiator.
Rumours that a top Sinn Fein man was a spy have been circulating for some time.
But it is only now that the alleged proof of his identity will be known in wider circles.
Last night, a security source told The People: "I cannot stress how senior this man is. This will destroy Sinn Fein."
McGuinness is not a british spy - Sinn Féin
28/05/2006 - 10:47:31
Sinn Féin today rubbished claims by a former British Army intelligence officer that its chief negotiator Martin McGuinness was a British spy.
The allegation, which was carried in a Sunday newspaper, was made by former agent handler Martin Ingram.
Mr Ingram two years ago identified Belfast republican Freddie Scappaticci as the prized British agent Stakeknife, within the IRA – an allegation he denied before fleeing his home in the west of the city.
It also followed the unmasking last year of Sinn Féin’s former head of administration at Stormont Denis Donaldson as a spy.
He was gunned down in April at a remote cottage in Glenties, Co Donegal after details of where he was laying low emerged.
A Sinn Féin spokesman today dismissed claims that Mr McGuinness, who admitted in May 2001 in a submission to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry that he was the IRA’s second in command in Derry in 1971, worked for MI6 during the 1990’s.
He also rejected claims that the allegation against Mr McGuinness was supported by documentary evidence.
“We have heard this all before,” a spokesman told PA.
“It is rubbish. It is nonsense.”
“Anybody with half a wit will treat it with the contempt it rightly deserves.”
May 28, 2006
John Cassidy
The Sunday World. Exclusive.
A British Army whistleblower today names Sinn Fein chief Martin McGuinness as a high-ranking MI6 agent.
And Martin Ingram says McGuinness's MI6 handlers actively encouraged the IRA chief to wage a bloody 'human bomb' campaign in Ulster to provoke a public backlash against the Provos.
Ingram a former agent handler in the shadowy Force Research Unit, says his claim that McGuinness, Sinn Fein's chief negotiator, was a top British mole is supported by documentary evidence.
Freddi Scappaticci was unmasked two years ago as the FRU agent 'Stakeknife' who was a senior figure in the IRA's internal seurity department, known as the 'Nutting Squad'.
Transcript
The Sunday World has obtained a transcript of a conversation which Ingram confirms is between McGuinness and his MI6 handler. In it, the pair discuss the IRA's 'human bomb' strategy which was an escalation in the republican groups's terror campaign. Acording to Ingram, Martin McGuinness is referred to in the document as 'J118'.
Ingram, told the Sunday World from his secret address outside of Britain, 'Every member of every terrorist organisation is given a number by the intelligence services - FRU, Special Branch, MI5 and MI6.
'In the FRU, we used a P system, Special Branch, MI5 and MI6 had their own system which started with a letter followed by a number.' Ingram says McGuinness's MI6 handler is referred in the transcript as 'G'.
'This is an authentic document. I have checked it with people in the intelligence community who would be knowledgeable on these matters. From the transcript of the conversation, it has been confirmed to me that 'J118' is Martin McGuinness.'
The 'J119' refers to his brother Willie McGuinness, who was a senior member of the IRA in Derry. 'The Murray referred to the transcript as 'B328' is Sean 'Spike' Murray, who at the time was the 'Operations Director' for Northern Command.'
The folowing is the transcript of the conversation which Ingram says was made in the run-up to the start of the 'human bomb' campaign which rocked Northern Ireland in 1990.
J118: As I said, Patsy (SA3) was all for it, Tommy (SA1) was ready to go, he said he would have no problems asking the crew for their support.G: Do you think there will be any problem with it?
J118: I know our fella (J119) has everyone geared up for it, he (J119) thinks it is his idea.
G: I think you should push this along as quickly as possible.
J118: Murray (B328) is pushing, starting to ask a lot of questions about Belfast Command.
G: Don't worry, we will look after things in that department, you just concentrate on the checkpoints.
G: We must have another meeting next week. In the meantime you can use the number I gave you in updates on the progress of things.
Significant
Ingram told the Sunday World;
'The most significant thing for me in this transcript is the fact that McGuinness's handler is the driving force behind the 'human bomb' campaign.
'That quote from 'G' is very significant: 'Don't worry, we will look after things in that department, you just concentrate on the checkpoints.'
He was directly telling McGuinness to forget about 'Spike' Murray who wanted to bring the 'human bomb' campaign to Belfast and couldn't understand why the Belfast command were not following the Derry brigade.
'G' is saying to him, 'just you concentrate on the checkpoints. I don't think MI6 wanted the 'human bomb' campaign going to Belfast. As 'G' says, they wanted the IRA to concentrate on the checkpooints along the border.'
In the first 'human bomb' attack, 42 year old Patsy Gillespie was forced to drive a large explosive device to Coshquin vehicle checkpoint on the border with Donegal.
The bomb was set off while he was still in the driver's seat, killing him and five soldiers from the King's regiment.
The door to the cab was booby-trapped. 'A device was wired to the light inside the cab. Once Patsy opened the door to the truck the device went off.'
Added Ingram: 'If you look at the transcript very closely, McGuinness tells his handler that his brother Willie (J119) thinks the 'human bomb' idea was his idea. 'And from the transcript 'G' was very happy with this idea: 'Well then, there is no one that can point the finger at you'.
'It is a very clear strategy by MI6. They were quite happy to let Willie take the blame for the 'human bomb' strategy so their man Martin would stay out of the spotlight. 'If I had have gone to my boss (Colonel) Gordon Kerr with the 'human bomb' plan he would have told me to get lost. There is no way Gordon Kerr would have gone for the idea, despite what people might think of him. 'But obviously MI6 and the British Government had a different strategy towards the 'human bomb' campaign.
Asked why MI6 and the British Government would kill five British soldiers in a deliberate 'human bomb' campaign, he replied: 'They would see it as a means to an end. They play the long game, not the short game. To them solving the problems in Ireland was a marathon not a sprint.
'I could not have gone to my boss Gordon Kerr to organise the 'human bomb' campaigh. The top brass would not have entertained it.'
Ingram said he had also been suspicious that Martin McGuinness had been an intelligence agent. 'This transcript, which is 100% authentic proves to me that McGuinness was working for MI6.
Incident
Another incident that proved to him was his involvement in the murder of Frank Hegarty, a FRU agent, who was also the IRA Northern Command's quartermaster. 'When McGuinness brought Frank back into the IRA, senior republicans went to McGuinness and said Frank was a tout. Within six months of being brought back into the IRA, Frank was promoted to quartermaster of the Northern Command. 'When a large consignment of IRA guns was intercepted and Frank was taken off-side by us, Martin McGuinness went to Frank's home. He got down on one knee and promised Frank's mum Rose that if he came home he would guarantee his safety.
And Frank came home believing he would be safe. He was taken to a meeting and McGuinnesss turned to Freddie Scappaticci and told him to kill Frank.
So when McGuinness was asked by republicans afterwards why did he allow the tout back in, his reply was 'sure didn't we whack him anyway.' He was protecting himself. You have to remember that Martin McGuinness had the power over life and death.'
The murder of Frank Hegarty latter featured in a ITV Cook Report programme in which his tearful mother Rose recounted McGuinness's promise to her.
The RUC later launched a top level investigation into the Cook Reports allegations about Martin McGuinness, codenamed Operation Taurus.
McGuinness has never been convicted in a British court. He has two previous convictions for IRA membership in the Republic of Ireland.
He has been the commander of the IRA in Derry, head of Northern Command and Chief of Staff of the IRA between 1978 and 1982.
'We would have loved to have had Martin on our books at FRU,' said Ingram. 'I remember putting an application into RHSB (Regional Head of Special Branch) to recruit his brother Willie.
'RHSB sent the application back and said, 'No, Willie would have been a great catch.' I don't know if Willie was working for the Branch or not.'
'But I am 100% convinced that his brother Martin McGuinness is an agent,
that the document is 100% authentic and I am 100% convinced he was working
for MI6,' added Ingram.