Close friend of Robert Nairac says he should never have been working under cover

A close friend of the IRA Disappeared victim, Captain Robert Nairac has told UTV he believes the captain was never cut out to be an undercover soldier.

Speaking as the search for the 29-year-old’s remains continues, he laid the blame for that firmly at the feet of the army top brass - saying they failed him.

The last time they met was just months before Captain Nairac was abducted from a bar in south Armagh.

"He told me he was serving undercover," said Julian Milans KC.

"When I gave him a bit of push-back on that, saying that’s very unwise, he showed me his firearm which he was carrying and said how important his work was.

"It was extremely dangerous, particularly for someone like him, whose capacity for undercover work, must be close to zero."

Robert Nairac was an Army officer – a captain in the Grenadier Guards.

He is believed to have been abducted by the Provisional IRA while on an undercover operation in a pub in south Armagh in 1977 and taken across the border to Flurry Bridge in County Louth where he was killed.

His remains have never been found.

Captain Nairac is considered to be part of a group of 16 people, known as the Disappeared, who were killed and secretly buried by paramilitary groups.

A fresh search began in Co Louth in August as teams continue their efforts to find his body.

Julian Milans KC said: “Who approved the use of Robert Nairac for undercover work in Northern Ireland and what is their justification for using him for that purpose?

"That is my question."

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