CANDID CAMERA

FORMER spies have put their skills with cameras to a new use, theyhave a released a professionally- made feature length video demonstrating their abilities.

They show former members of the highly-secretive Forces Research Unit (FRU) who operated undercover as part of the security services 'dirty war' against republican terrorists in Ireland and the UK.

The potentially explosive new video is called Agents, No More Lies, and lifts the lid right off the clandestine work of the security services operations in Northern Ireland and the Republic.

The Sunday Mirror has seen an unedited version of the new video, which blows the whistle on the world of British Intelligence activities in Ireland.

The video features a number of former spies who give graphic and harrowing accounts of their activities while working undercover for MI5 and RUC Special Branch.

For the first time in the history of The Troubles, former soldiers publicly identify their handlers and the locations where they met. The video details names of MI5 operatives, RUC Special Branch officers and officials belonging to HM Customs and Excise.

In one interview, a former agent tell how MI5 operatives flew with him to the United States and assisted him to acquire ordnance for the IRA. The ordnance was later shipped to Ireland and used in IRA actions against the security forces in Ireland.

The video also shows one of the former FRU agents carrying out a reconstruction of a booby trap bomb device developed by the IRA in 1992.

In a step-by-step account, the agent is seen building and detonating the device, which normally contained 10-12lbs of explosives and was triggered by a flash bulb from a standard camera.

It is claimed the device was used in an attack in Newry, Co Down when the IRA launched a horizontally-fired mortar at an RUC patrol killing WPC Colleen McMurray and seriously injuring another police officer.

The agent claims his MI5 handlers were aware of the development of the booby trap device but did nothing. FARC guerrillas in Colombia have recently used similarly-styled devices.

The former spies tell how, shortly after joining the British Army, they were approached by members of the Intelligence Corps and sent back to Northern Ireland to infiltrate the IRA.

In the video, one former soldier claims he managed to get into such a position of confidence within the republican movement that he was able to identity of the senior IRA mole codenamed 'Stake Knife'.

The former agents recall in detail how they were trained in weapon handling, surveillance techniques, fieldcraft and intelligence gathering. All of which were essential tools of their trade for their work with the security services in Ireland.

One of the soldiers who produced the explosive new video said yesterday: "The MoD are going frantic over what we're doing. They are trying to get a copy of the video before it is released. They know we have named very senior players."

The cover of video, which is due to go on sale across the UK within the next few weeks, features the crest of the Forces Research Unit and is emblazoned with its motto: Fishers Of Men.

The former spies said profits from the sale would go to help other undercover agents who have been 'disowned' by the British authorities.

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