LONDON (AP) — The U.K.’s security services protected a top spy planted within the Irish Republican Army when they knew he was wanted for by police for murder, and continued to suppress the truth about the agent decades after Northern Ireland ‘s bloody conflict, a report published on Tuesday found.

A final report into the actions of the agent “Stakeknife,” a senior member of IRA who was passing information to British intelligence during the conflict known as “ the Troubles,” revealed that Britain’s MI5 intelligence agency “had greater and earlier knowledge” of his activities than previously known.

The spy was seen as Britain’s most centrally placed mole within the IRA. He is widely believed to be Freddie Scappaticci, who was linked to the IRA’s ruthless internal security unit and allegedl

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