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AGENT... Brian Nelson of Black Watch :)---(:
Sinn Fein has called for probe of Nelson collusion - an article written
By Michael O’Toole
SINN FEIN President Gerry Adams yesterday called for an international
inquiry into claims that British military intelligence agents colluded
with loyalist paramilitaries in the murder of Catholics.
A report in yesterday’s Sunday Telegraph claimed the
paper had seen secret files which showed military
intelligence had infiltrated Brian Nelson into the UDA to
ensure the loyalist paramilitary group carried “proper
targeting of Provisional IRA members prior to any
shootings”.
Nelson, a former soldier in the Black Watch and originally
from the Shankill Road, Belfast, was sentenced to 10 years
in 1992 on conspiracy to murder charges.
The charges came about after the Stevens inquiry which
was set up to investigate claims of collusion between
loyalists and the security forces.
Nelson, an intelligence officer in the UDA, was later
unmasked as a British army agent within the organisation.
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The paper yesterday printed secret documents known as
contact forms relating to a conversation between Nelson
and a military intelligence officer from the now disbanded
force research unit, showing the British army knew which
Catholics were being targeted by the UDA.
One of them was Sinn Fein councillor Alex Maskey, who
narrowly avoided being killed by the group.
Nelson is quoted as telling his handler that the group would
try and kill him the following Sunday and that he had
personally been involved in the attack.
No attempt was made to prevent the attack the following
Sunday, which Mr Maskey again avoided.
Mr Adams said yesterday: “I think what is required is a
totally independent international inquiry into this.
“British military intelligence and other intelligence agencies
within the British military apparatus have been using dirty
tricks to kill political opponents since the early 1970s.
“The Nelson case took on a particular significance because
of the number of people killed, the fact that British military
intelligence helped in the importation of weapons from
South African government suppliers and the provision of
intelligence information to loyalists on potential targets.
“That the then British attorney general, Sir Patrick Mayhew,
was responsible for a deal with Nelson which saw murder
charges dropped and Nelson receive a 10 year sentence,
raises many questions about the direct involvement of
successive British governments, and especially the
Thatcher and Major governments in this illegal and
murderous strategy.”
A spokesman for the British army yesterday said it was
aware of the allegations in the story.
And the Northern Ireland Office said there had been a full
investigation into the Nelson affair, but any fresh evidence
should be submitted and dealt with by the courts.
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Nationalists Targeted for Killing by UK
