Kenova: DUP leader says police and army involved in just cause of undermining terrorism

Reacting to the report on how an IRA killer who passed information to the security services was handled, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said: “The work of the police, army or the security services was a just cause. Their job was to undermine terrorists. The fact that the security services had so many agents working at the top of the PIRA, is testament to their success.

“Whilst having lessons to learn for the Government, the report reminds us that the intelligence agencies had infiltrated the PIRA to such an extent that they rendered the organisation almost inoperable.

“Working within the Security Forces was a role of honour in the Troubles. It was a courageous role undertaken by people who wanted to defeat terrorism, protect the entire community, and secure peace for us all.

“Whilst some will want to rewrite history and develop their own narrative of the past which blames those who tried to uphold the law as much as the terrorists, this is a distortion of reality.

“90% of the deaths in the Troubles were perpetrated by terrorists. We must remember that the soldiers were on our streets because of the terrorist campaign.

“£40m is a huge bill to investigate the activities of one agent in the PIRA. It begs the question if that money 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 has failed to secure a single prosecution.

“In the coming days, we will be asking more questions of those tasked with making decisions about troubles related prosecutions in Northern Ireland.

“Where evidence exists against terrorist perpetrators, innocent victims must not be denied access to justice. This principle cannot be compromised.”

Meanwhile, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris said: “There can be no doubt that the way Operation Kenova has conducted its work since being commissioned in 2016 has gained the trust of many families who have long been seeking answers as to what exactly happened when their loved ones were so brutally murdered by, and on the orders of, the Provisional IRA.

“Over 3,500 people from all parts of the community were killed during the Troubles and tens of thousands more injured. Over 1,000 of those killed were members of the security forces. Their bravery, courage, dedication and sacrifice in seeking to uphold democracy and the rule of law must never be forgotten.

“We must remember too that the vast majority of deaths during the Troubles, around 90 per cent, were perpetrated by terrorist organisations - in the substance of this report, by the Provisional IRA.

“As this is an “interim” report, I will not comment at this time on behalf of the Government on the detail of the report. It contains several specific, very serious allegations that remain subject to consideration by the courts.

“It would not be right for the Government to make any comment on the substance of the Interim Report until the conclusion of litigation related to it. I note the recent decisions made by the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland in relation to files passed to them by Operation Kenova, which once again go to show how difficult it is to achieve criminal justice outcomes in legacy cases. Due to numerous related civil cases, however, that remain ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time. There is also the prospect of appeals against any of the recent decisions made by the Director for Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland.

“I would like to put on record again my deepest sympathy with all the families who lost loved ones during the Troubles - including as a result of the actions of the Provisional IRA”.