In March 1999, just months after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson was assassinated when a bomb exploded under her car. The attack was claimed by a loyalist paramilitary group but, over the last ten years, there have been several government enquiries into Nelson's murder. The latest one, which has been ongoing since 2005, has dramatically alleged that there may have been some security service collusion in the killing. Rosemary Nelson came to prominence for representing high-profile Republican and nationalist clients. It was no secret that her life was at risk and she had received many death threats -- but had always been refused police protection. She had even claimed publicly that her life was being threatened by members of the RUC -- allegations which have always been denied by the police. This fascinating and in-depth book takes an unflinching yet impartial look at this controversial case. As well as investigating the events leading to Rosemary Nelson's murder, author Neil Root draws on first-hand interviews with those relevant to the case. He also examines the striking similarities between her death and the assassination of solicitor Pat Finucane in 1989. This is a complex and terrifying story which deserves to be told...

Rosemary Nelson, a solicitor in Lurgan, Northern Ireland, was murdered by a bomb exploding under her car near her home in March 1999. There were claims the police and government ignored a series of warnings about threats against her: concerns about her safety had been raised over a two-year period before she was killed. She had become a hate figure for hardline loyalists - and reportedly some police officers - because of some of the Republican clients she represented. It was claimed she had been threatened by RUC officers as well as loyalist paramilitaries. The Cory Collusion Inquiry (2004, ISBN 9780102927443) investigated the allegations of collusion between British security forces and paramilitaries in her murder, and concluded that there was enough evidence to warrant a full public inquiry. This Inquiry finds no evidence of any act by or within any of the state agencies (Royal Ulster Constabulary, the Northern Ireland Office or the Security Service) which directly facilitated the murder. Some members of the RUC did publicly abuse and assault her in 1997, and make abusive/threatening remarks about her to her clients, which became publicly known. Combined with intelligence leaks these had the effect of legitimising her as a target. There were omissions by the RUC and NIO which rendered her more at risk and more vulnerable. These omissions meant the state failed to take reasonable and proportionate steps to safeguard the life of Rosemary Nelson. The Inquiry finds no evidence of obstruction into the murder investigation, which was carried out with due diligence.

By using informers to provide intelligence on terrorism, the security and intelligence agencies who handle them gain knowledge of their offences. Charges may then be brought against them, provided evidence supports this course of action. But if imprisoned, an informer no longer has access to the time-sensitive, potentially life-saving intelligence they once had. There is therefore a tension between continuing to use an informer to provide intelligence on terrorism and upholding the law. This tension is at the heart of this book. Terrorist Informers in Northern Ireland analyses prominent terrorist informers such as Agent Stakeknife, and lesser-known examples, who collectively were active throughout Northern Ireland from the 1970s to the present. It looks at both those involved with republican groups and with loyalist groups, and also those working for the police, the armed forces, and MI5. Valuable pieces of the puzzle are unearthed in sources such as court judgments, official reports, and in interviews conducted by the author. The book also analyses the way successive governments, the police, the armed forces, and MI5 have addressed the regulation of terrorist informers' involvement in criminality, as well as allegations of 'collusion' between informers on one hand and the security and intelligence agencies on the other. Accordingly, the book also assesses the varied retrospective investigations into the use of terrorist informers, and therefore the competing needs for secrecy and transparency. As Samantha Newbery's research here shows, although there is a tension between intelligence and the law, this can be successfully navigated.

For almost three decades the troubles in Northern Ireland raged, claiming over 3,600 lives, with civilians accounting for almost half the fatalities. In this book, Jonathan Tonge examines the reasons for that conflict; the motivations of the groups involved and explores the prospects for a post-conflict Northern Ireland. The book: assesses the motivations and campaigns of the IRA, UVF and UDA and other armed groups discusses what each paramilitary group achieved through violence analyses the continuing controversies surrounding the Northern Irelands dirty war outlines the extent of collusion between British security forces and loyalist paramilitaries explores how governments and political parties shaped the peace process scrutinizes prospects for the political development of unionism and nationalism within a devolved power sharing framework examines whether the sectarian divide is strengthening or weakening concludes by assessing whether Northern Ireland can move permanently from violence and instability to become a normal peaceful polity, in which the war is merely a historic relic Written by an acknowledged expert in the field, Northern Ireland combines incisive analysis, original research and a lucid style to provide an important assessment of what has been described as an 800 year old problem.