No action was taken by state agencies which could have saved the life of an IRA man accused of being an informer despite warnings from two agents, his family has revealed.
Michael Kearney was shot dead by the IRA after being falsely accused of informing.
The 20-year-old’s body was found just inside the border near Newtownbutler in Co Fermanagh in July 1979.
The IRA later acknowledged that Mr Kearney was not passing on information and was shot in the wrong.
His family has now been told that two informers within the IRA’s Internal Security Unit (ISU) told both British army and RUC handlers that he was in grave danger and had been taken into the south to be killed.
The Kearney family has now been told how state agencies failed to act on the information, which included a report two days after Mr Kearney was handed over to the ISU that he was going to be shot dead.
It has also been confirmed to the family that Mr Kearney was told to pray in the seconds before he was shot in the head by two gunmen.
Details emerged during a recent meeting between members of the Kearney family and the Operation Kenova investigation team ahead of a family report, which has yet to be published.
Just last week the interim Operation Kenova report revealed that innocent people were killed by the feared ISU, which hunted down and killed alleged informers.
It investigated the activities of ex-ISU commander Freddie Scappaticci, who was also on the payroll of the British army’s Force Research Unit.
He is believed to have been one of the two informers who were passing on information about Mr Kearney to his handlers.
Mr Kearney’s brother Seamus recently received a private briefing from the Kenova team.
He said additional information, which includes military and police intelligence reports, “paints a complex picture of treachery which has been both heart breaking and soul destroying for the wider Kearney family”.
“The fact that a brave young man of 20-years-of-age, standing alone at 2.15am on a dark border road, far from home, is told he is to be executed and accepts it as a soldier is so hard to fathom for the watchful eye,” said Seamus Kearney.
“And while praying to a God that seems to have abandoned him, is shot dead by not one but two executioners, has left us shattered.”
Mr Kearney said his family has been told that Michael Kearney could have been saved.
“Significantly, we have been informed by the Operation Kenova team that Michael’s life could and should have been saved by those in authority,” he said.
“On at least three separate occasions the military and RUC Special Branch were informed by at least two agents holding Michael, that he was in grave danger and had arrived in the Irish Republic to be shot dead.
“They failed to act.
“Crucially, their first agent report was on June 27 1979, two days after Michael was handed over to the infiltrated unit known as ‘IRA Internal Security’, highlighting that Michael would be shot dead.”
Mr Kearney said his family has been told there was time to launch a rescue bid.
“Operation Kenova have stated to the Kearney family that there was ample time and opportunity to save Michael’s life and we are grateful for their support and the impartiality of their thorough investigation,” he said.
“We impressed upon them, as far back as 2016 when Operation Kenova commenced, the need to leave no stone unturned and to go the extra mile, we now acknowledge that they achieved that high bar.”
He added that a distinction can be made between his brother.
“Despite the fact that no prosecutions will be forthcoming, we never expected that anyway, the court of public opinion will suffice in recognising the heroism of IRA Volunteer Michael Kearney as compared to those who posed as IRA personnel, but who were in fact agents of the state,” he said.
Mr Kearney’s solicitor Kevin Winters, of KRW Law, said he believed the Kearney killing “set the template for further executions of informants and to protect other agents, and not just Scappaticci.”
