Report slams MI5 over IRA double agent

Britain's domestic intelligence agency MI5 allowed a double agent to commit murders during three decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland and then evade justice, a damning probe found on Tuesday.

The claim came in the final report of a nine-year investigation into the activities of "Stakeknife", the codename for a member of the IRA paramilitary group who also worked for British security services.

The inquiry, called "Operation Kenova", criticised MI5's handling of Stakeknife, who headed the IRA internal security unit responsible for interrogating and torturing suspected British security forces informants during "The Troubles".

"Checks and balances that should have been in place to manage the agent effectively were ignored through an apparent perverse sense of loyalty to Stakeknife and these blurred lines allowed him to continue to commit serious criminal offences for which he was never brought to justice," the report said.