News · 26 January 2026
Northern Ireland Murder Case Sparks MI5 Secrets Battle
The 1994 murder of Paul Thompson in Belfast, Northern Ireland, has triggered a battle over state secrets involving MI5. Thompson was killed in a sectarian attack by the Ulster Freedom Fighters. A hole in a barrier, reported to police before the murder, allowed the killers to escape. An inquest opened in 1995 but was never concluded, and no one has been held accountable. Thompson's family suspected collusion between British security forces and informants.
Reported by BBC · How we write briefs