perfidy

Those IRA dudes are totally screwed. Seriously. As are, I'm sure, several highly placed members of the British intelligence community.

DUBLIN (Reuters) - The unmasking of a British double-agent who penetrated to the heart of the IRA guerrilla army in Northern Ireland has given rare insight into the twisted and murky world of high-stakes espionage. The agent known by the codename "Stakeknife" was paid $128,900 a year by Britain and is suspected of killing 40 people in operations authorized by his handlers to protect his identity. With his name printed in at least four newspapers during the weekend, the blow to future undercover operations is massive, said former British SAS soldier and author Andy McNab. . . .The existence of a highly placed British mole within the IRA has long been suspected, but at the weekend he was identified in British and Irish media as Alfredo Scappaticci.

Holy crow! This is as bad as/much worse than the whole "FBI/Whitey Bulger let-the-innocent-die-it's-ok" flapdoodle of recent years.