MI5 agent Denis McFadden
The Irish News reports today that Scottish-born ex-policeman McFadden – branded a ‘rat’ and a ‘traitor’ by dissidents for infiltrating the New IRA for MI5 – has not been listed among witnesses who are expected to give evidence in the case once its case goes to Crown Court trial.
McFadden fled his Glengormley home with his wife and child as police mounted Operation Arbacia against ten New IRA suspects in August 2020.
He rented out two properties for meetings of the New IRA leadership in Co Tyrone last year and in which which MI5 planted hi-tech audio and video recording devices inside.
As a result of the secret recordings, ten people were arrested across Derry, Tyrone and north Armagh during dawn raids by detectives from PSNI’s Terrorist Investigation Unit, supported by officers from its headquarters-based Special Operations Branch and the Tactical Support Group.
All ten later appeared in court via videolink from a Belfast police custody suite on a range of charges, including directing terrorism.
Those charged included husband and wife David and Sharon Jorda, Damien Joseph McLaughlin, Kevin Barry Murphy, Amanda McCabe, Shea Reynolds, Derry men Paddy McDaid, Joseph Barr and Gary Hayden.
Palestinian doctor Issam Bassalat, who lives in Edinburgh, is charged with addressing an IRA meeting.
During previous court hearings, it was claimed David Jordan addressed the meetings as a member of the ‘IRA Army Council’ and Kevin Barry Murphy is alleged to have said he was the IRA’s ‘Chief of Staff’.
The Irish News reports that hard drives containing documents relating to the case were recently handed over to defence solicitors and lawyers for the ten accused.
These include 470 hours of audio and video recordings of the New IRA meetings.
The paper says it is believed more than 2,000 pages of evidence have also been delivered.
Witness statements have also been provided by members of MI5 involed in overseeing the operation along with those covert operatives responsible for planting the devices in the two properties and downloading the material onto a Security Service computer sytem.
There are also witness statements provided from TIU detectives and members of the Garda’s Special Detective Unit.
In total, says the paper, there are around 1,200 statements contained in the documents handed over by the Public Prosecution Service.
However, no witness statement has been provided by McFadden.
Dissident republican suspect Paddy McDaid
He also described him as the “organiser and champion of the meetings”.
The accused are expected to receive their case papers this week along with equipment for watching and listening to the electronic surveillance involved in the case.
McFadden is believed to have been secretly supplying information to MI5 about the New IRA for many years after ‘bedding in’ with the terrorists a decade earlier.
A member of Saoradh’s ruling national executive, McFadden held the post of resource officer and was also involved in the party’s financial affairs.
It could be next year before the ten accused are formally arraigned at Belfast Crown Court on a host of terrorism charges.
Because of the current Coronavirus pandemic, only trials involving one defendant are currently proceeding at the Crown Court.
McFadden is currently in the protective custody of MI5.
Initially, he and his family were swiftly moved to a military house inside MI5’s headquarters here at Palace Barracks in Holywood, Co Down a week before the police raids on the New IRA leadership.
However, it is understood they have now been moved to a secret address in England for their own safety.
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