A former member of the British army who spied on Sinn Féin has questioned the timing of the death of notorious agent Brian Nelson

The claim has been made by former MI5 and British army agent Willie Carlin (71).

Carlin worked for MI5 but later moved to work for the British army’s undercover Force Research Unit (FRU) which was responsible for handling former UDA intelligence officer Brian Nelson, who provided information which was later used to target Catholics.

The FRU also ran the republican agent known as Stakeknife.

In a new book ‘Thatcher’s Spy: my life as an MI5 agent inside Sinn Féin’ Mr Carlin reveals how he believes Stakeknife saved his life when his cover as a spy in Sinn Féin was blown in 1985.

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The Derry man, who had served in the British army, had been on the payroll of MI5 since returning to his native city in 1974.

After breaking his links with The Security Service in 1980 he began working for the British army’s secret Force Research Unit a year after the IRA shot dead 29-year-old census worker Joanne Mathers in Derry.

While he was working for British intelligence his sister Doreen, who died recently, was active with Cumann na mBan, the women’s wing of the IRA, joining the same year he began with MI5.

Mr Carlin says his MI5 code number was ‘007’ - the same number associated with fictional ‘spook’ James Bond.

His role as a spy was later revealed to the IRA by his former handler Michael Bettaney, who had been jailed after trying to pass British secrets to the soviets.

Mr Carlin claims that FRU was told by the agent known as Stakeknife, who was part of the IRA’s internal security unit, that Mr Carlin's cover had been blown.

It has been reported that he is west Belfast man Freddie Scappaticci - although he denies the claim.

The role of Stakeknife, who is accused by some of being involved in the murder of dozens of people, is currently being probed by Operation Kenova, which is headed by former English police chief Jon Boutcher.

Earlier this week the investigation team confirmed that files relating to Operation Kenova are being prepared for the Public Prosecution Service.

Speaking to the Irish News, Mr Carlin, who revealed he has spoken to the Kenova team, questioned the death of Brian Nelson.

In April 2003 it was reported that Nelson had died a brain haemorrhage, aged 55.

Mr Carlin claims that an Operation Kenova staff member told him that days before his death a file had been submitted to the Department of Public Prosecutions.

“’Now the strange thing is’, he said to me, ‘you know about Nelson don’t you?’

“He said he died in very suspicious circumstances, because I didn’t know.

“I said ‘what do you mean?’, he said ‘Stevens put the file in to the Director of Public Prosecutions on the Monday and Nelson died on the bloody Wednesday.

He later added: “He said that whenever Nelson died the file was just put away because we wouldn’t have been able to get to (a senior intelligence official).”

Mr Carlin said that after he was contacted by members of the Kenova team and told them he believed Stakeknife saved his life they were “shocked”.

Mr Carlin also revealed that he was told that he and Nelson only lived a mile apart in the same Welsh town after they were relocated by British intelligence.

The former FRU agent believes the IRA knew about Stakeknife’s role but allowed him to continue because he was targeting alleged informers inside the organisation.

“My theory is this and it’s a kinda quiet shocking but then you know the truth is stranger than fiction,” he said.

He added: “So here now you have the Ministry of Defence don’t want Scappaticci in court, the government doesn’t want him in court and the IRA doesn’t want him in court because he could name names,” he said.

“My understanding is, and it has even been given to me in a roundabout way, he taped everything.

“And not only that, he was allowed to.”

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